Boosting Innovative GEOINT - Science & Technology Broad Agency Announcement (BIG-ST BAA)

APPENDIX 1 Abstract Template

APPENDIX 1 –

BIG-ST BAA ABSTRACT SUBMISSION TEMPLATE

Abstract Template - General instructions for completion and submission of Boosting Innovative GEOINT Science and Technology (BIG-ST) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Abstract Submission Template follows:

Proposers shall replace and/or delete all instructions (grey fonts) within the template prior to submission of their completed Abstract Submission Template. Font in the final document shall be black.

• Proposers are prohibited from altering any of the settings in this template.

• Settings:

• Page Size – 8 ½ x 11 inches

• Font – Times New Roman

• Font size – 12 point

• Margins – 1 inch

• Spacing – single

• Graphics/illustrations are allowed and are not subject to the format restrictions.

• Tables are allowed but are subject to the format restrictions.

• A list of acronyms/glossary is allowed outside of the page count.

The following template instructions include headings (BLUE text) and instructions (in GREY text) for each Section and Subsection required in your abstract package. Update/modify the selections below with your abstract information in the template and remove instructions (GREY text) prior to submission.

# BIG-ST BAA Abstract Cover Page

Table of Contents

Table of Contents – General Instructions

Abstract shall contain a table of contents such as the sample table below.

Section 1 and its subsections 1.1,1.2,1.3, and 1.4 are limited to 5 pages. Graphics/illustrations are allowed and are not subject to the format restrictions. Tables are allowed but are subject to the format restrictions.

Proposed Research

What is your technical approach and how is it novel?

Clearly describe what is being proposed and what difference it will make (qualitatively and quantitatively); description shall include brief answers to the following questions:

What is novel/innovative in your approach (include explanation of the novel/innovative aspect of your approach) and how does it compare to the current state-of-the-art (SOA)?

What are the key technical challenges in your approach and how do you plan to address them?

Technical Plan

Present a summarized plan broken out by events, milestones, and metrics to demonstrate progress and determination for success.

Provide a proposed schedule for project. Include optional performance periods, if applicable.

Capabilities

Provide a brief summary of team expertise, including subcontractors and key personnel.

A Program Manager (PM)/Principal Investigator (PI) for the project must be identified.

Include a description of the team’s organization including roles and responsibilities.

Describe the organizational experience in this area, existing intellectual property required to complete the project, and any specialized facilities to be used as part of the project.

Request for Government Support

The type of support, if any, that the proposer requests from the Government (such as facilities, equipment, demonstration sites, test ranges, software, personnel or materials) shall be identified as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), Government Furnished Information (GFI), Government Furnished Property (GFP), or Government Furnished Data (GFD).

The proposer shall indicate any Government coordination that may be required for obtaining equipment or facilities necessary to perform any simulations or exercises that would demonstrate the proposed capability.

Cost/Price

Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) of the total estimated cost/price (e.g. base period + option periods) for the overall proposed research, including Total estimated cost/price (include any subcontractors)

Discuss any cost share (if applicable); the Government may note any issues or questions for further clarification before requesting a full proposal.

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APPENDIX 2 Proposal Template

APPENDIX 2 –

BIG-ST BAA PROPOSAL SUBMISSION TEMPLATE

Proposal Template - General instructions for completion and submission of Boosting Innovative GEOINT Science and Technology (BIG-ST) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Proposal Submission Template follow:

Proposers shall replace and/or delete all instructions (grey fonts) within the template prior to submission of their completed Proposal Submission Template. Font in the final document shall be black.

• Proposers are prohibited from altering any of the settings in this template.

Settings:

• Page Size – 8 ½ x 11 inches

• Font – Times New Roman

• Font size – 12 point

• Margins – 1 inch

• Spacing – single

• Graphics/illustrations are allowed and are not subject to the format restrictions.

• Tables are allowed but are subject to the format restrictions.

• A list of acronyms/glossary is allowed outside of the page count.

The following sections of the template include headings (BLUE text) and instructions (in GREY text) for each Volume, Volume Sections/Subsections, and Attachments required in your proposal package. Update/modify the selections below with your proposal information in the template and remove instructions (GREY text) prior to submission.

FILE NAMING CONVENTION

Proposers shall submit each proposal volume and attachment as a separate file, in accordance with (IAW) the structure laid out within section 4.5.3 of the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation and within this proposal template.

Files shall be labeled by the following naming convention (Short Version of Proposer Name + Topic Number + Volume or Attachment Number):

Proposer Name_T#_Vol #

Proposer Name_T#_Att #

# BIG-ST BAA Proposal Cover Page

Table of Contents – General Instructions

Proposal shall contain a table of contents laying out the full proposal by Volume and Section. The Volumes and Sections proposed should follow the format shown in the sample below.

# Table of Contents

# Volume 1 – Technical and Management

This volume is limited to 20 pages (unless individual Topic Call set other limitations).

In addition to providing the required Volume 1 information below, proposers shall submit a Statement of Work (SOW) as Attachment 1 (see “Attachment 1– SOW Template” of this appendix for further information).

Goals and Impact

• Describe what the project will achieve and, if successful, the difference it will make (qualitatively and quantitatively).

• Describe the innovative aspects of the project in the context of existing capabilities and approaches, clearly delineating the uniqueness and benefits of this project in the context of the state of the art, alternative approaches, and other projects from the past and present.

• Describe how the proposed project is revolutionary and how it significantly rises above the current state of the art.

• Describe the final deliverables associated with the proposed project.

• Clearly describe how the approach will accomplish the scientific and technical objectives outlined in the topic.

Technical Plan

Technical Approach

• Provide a detailed description of the technical approach to meet the technical objectives.

• Discuss in detail the methods planned to achieve each task or objective.

• Demonstrate a deep understanding of the technical challenges and present a credible (even if risky) plan to achieve the project’s goal.

Risks and Mitigation Strategies

• Identify and address major technical risks of the approach and feasible mitigation strategies.

Request for Government Support

• List all Government-furnished information (GFI) or property (GFP) or other Government support that you are requesting to be furnished by the Government (excl. any GFI already listed in the individual Topic Call).

Fundamental Research Declaration

• Identify whether you consider the proposed work (or some portion of the proposed work) as fundamental research.

Definition per DoD Instruction 5230.27, "Presentation of DoD-Related Scientific and Technical Papers at Meetings":

“Contracted fundamental research includes research performed under grants and contracts that are funded by Budget Activity 1 (“Basic Research”) identified in DoD 7000 14-R, Volume 2A, Chapter 1, whether performed by universities or industry or funded by Budget Activity 2 (“Applied Research”) and performed on-campus at a university. The research will not be considered fundamental in those rare and exceptional circumstances where the Budget Activity 2-funded effort presents a high likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or manufacturing technologies that are unique and critical to defense, and where agreement on restrictions have been recorded in the contract or grant.”

Management Plan

• Explain how the proposed effort will be managed to ensure the required performance outcomes are achieved within the required schedule and proposed cost/price.

• Provide the processes and techniques that demonstrate the ability to effectively manage all aspects of execution of the technical approach.

• Provide a detailed narrative explaining the risk management process. Describe any formal teaming agreements that are required to execute this project.

• Provide an organizational chart that includes the programmatic relationship of team members and their unique capabilities and/or tasking.

• Provide a summary of qualifications of the team, to include the proposed PI, key personnel expertise, and any subcontractors.

Capabilities

• Describe the roles and responsibilities that will be assigned to each proposed team member (e.g. proposer, subcontractor, consultant, etc.).

• Describe the organizational capabilities each proposed team member possesses, to include expertise, facilities, and equipment, to successfully execute the proposed project, and substantiate these capabilities with examples of past performance/relevant experience executing similar work.

• Describe organization’s relevant existing intellectual property and specialized facilities.

• Discuss any work in closely related research areas and previous accomplishments.

Schedule and Milestones

• Provide appropriate measurable milestones (quantitative if possible) at intermediate stages of the project to demonstrate progress and achieve proposal objectives, and a plan for achieving the milestones.

• Provide a detailed schedule showing tasks (task name, duration, work breakdown structure element as applicable, performing organization), phases, milestones, and the interrelationships among tasks.

• The task structure must be consistent with that in the Statement of Work (SOW).

• Measurable milestones should be clearly articulated and defined in time relative to the start of the project. Identify and include presentations/meetings in your schedule.

Basis of Estimate (BOE)

• BOEs for the proposed resources to execute each task/sub-task contained in the SOW, covering all major cost/price elements in accordance with list in Section 2.1 of this appendix. No cost information shall be provided with the BOE. (Not included in the page count.)

Bibliography, Attached Papers, Resumes (optional):

The bibliography, attached papers, and resumes are not included in the page counts given above. Such materials will be considered for the reviewers’ convenience only and not evaluated as part of the proposal.

Bibliography

• Proposers may include an attached bibliography of relevant technical papers or research notes (published and unpublished) which document the technical ideas and approach upon which the proposal is based. The bibliography must not be more than two (2) pages in length.

Relevant Papers

• Copies of not more than three (3) relevant papers may be included with the submission. The relevant papers may not exceed ten (10) pages in total.

Resumes

• No more than two resumes should be included with the proposal, and one resume must be from the PI. Each resume must not be more than three (3) pages in length.

# Volume 2 - Cost/Price

In addition to providing the required Volume 2 information below, proposers shall submit a Cost/Price Breakout as Attachment 2 (see ‘Attachment 2 - Cost/Price Breakout’ for further information), using an MS Excel spreadsheet.

Cost/Price Proposal Checklist

List of Assumptions

Identification of cost/pricing assumptions based on use of Government Furnished Property/Facilities/Information, access to Government Subject Matter Experts, etc.

This list shall be consistent with Volume 1 - Section 1.2.3.

Cost/Price Overview

Proposers shall follow the requested project structure listed in each Topic Call (i.e. base/option periods and period of performance).

1) A summary of total program costs by phase and contract year:

For Cost Proposals: Summary by cost element, including profit or fee, for total proposal (Profit or Fee is not applicable to Grants and Cooperative Agreements).

2) A summary of projected funding requirements by month, phase, or milestone for all phases of the project:

3) A summary of tasks that have animal or human use funding, if applicable:

4) The source, nature, and amount of any industry cost-sharing, if applicable:

Direct Labor

• Provide an itemized breakout of all personnel, listed by name or TBD, with labor rate (or salary), labor hours (or percent effort), and labor category.

• Cost Proposal: Provide Explanation of how labor rates are computed including base rates (actuals), fringe, and escalation, if any.

• Provide current Forwarding Pricing Rate Proposal (FPRP) or DCMA/DCAA Forward Pricing Rate Recommendation or Agreement (FPRR or FPRA).

• Fully burdened rates should be proposed for Firm Fixed Price (FFP), FFP Level of Effort (LOE), Times and Materials (T&M) and Labor Hours (LH) contract types.

Indirect Cost (cost type contract proposal only)

• Indirect costs including, as applicable, fringe benefits, overhead, General and Administrative (G&A) expense, and cost of money (see university vs. company specific requirements below).

• Identify indirect rates by fiscal year and explanation of how established and base to which they apply.

• Fee/Profit (provide rationale for proposed fee/profit percentage using criteria found in DFARS 215.404-70);

• Fringe Benefit/Labor OH/Material OH/G&A Rates.

• Provide current Forwarding Pricing Rate Proposal (FPRP) or DCMA/DCAA Forward Pricing Rate Recommendation or Agreement (FPRR or FPRA).

• If these documents are not available, provide company historical data, preferably two years, minimum of one, to include both pool and expense costs used to generate the rates.

• Provide DD Form 1861 if proposing facilities capital cost of money.

Materials and Supplies

• If applicable, the Cost/Price proposal shall include an itemized list which includes description of material, quantity, unit price, and total price.

• If a material factor is used based on historical purchases, provide data to justify the rate.

• Any material item with a unit price over $5,000 must include a vendor quote.

Equipment

• Itemized list (Bill of Material (BOM)) which includes description of equipment, unit price, quantity, and total price.

• Any equipment item with a unit price over $5,000 must include a vendor quote.

Animal Use Cost

• Itemized list of all materials, animal purchases, and per diem prices, associated with proposed animal use; include documentation supporting daily rates.

Travel

• Provide an itemized list of travel costs to include: purpose of trips; departure and arrival destinations; and projected airfare, rental car, GSA approved per diem, number of travelers, and number of days.

• Provide screenshots from travel website for proposed airfare and rental car, as applicable.

• If travel is for conference attendance, provide screenshot or web link for conference registration fee and note if the fee includes hotel cost.

• Conference attendance must be justified, with an explanation of how it is in the best interest of the project.

Other Direct Cost

If applicable, Cost/Price proposal shall identify any Other Direct Costs, e.g., consultants, computer support, clean room fees.

• Should be itemized with costs or estimated costs. Backup documentation and/or a supporting cost breakdown is required to support proposed costs with a unit price over $5,000.

• An explanation of any estimating factors, including their derivation and application, must be provided. Include a brief description of the proposers’ procurement method.

DCAA Approved Accounting System (cost type contract proposal only)

• Proposers selected for a cost-type contract award must have a Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)-approved accounting system (this is not applicable to Other Transactions (OTs), Grants or Cooperative Agreements). Guidance is available at http://www.dcaa.mil.

• Proposers are encouraged to obtain DCAA accounting system approval prior to the award timeframe. Lack of a DCAA approved accounting system will prevent a cost-type contract award. While a DCAA audit is pending, a Contracting Officer may make a determination that the proposer’s accounting system is acceptable in accordance with DFARS 242.7502 and the clause at DFARS 252.242-7006, Accounting System Administration.

• Provide copy of DCMA letter confirming accounting system approval.

Subcontractor Direct Labor

• Provide an itemized breakout of all personnel, listed by name or TBD, with labor rate (or salary), labor hours (or percent effort), and labor category.

• Subcontractor cost proposals shall be broken out into the separate cost elements.

• Fully burdened rates should be proposed for FFP, FFP LOE, T&M and LH contract types.

Sub-contractor Proposal & Prime’s Analysis of Subcontractor Proposal

• Identify principal items/services to be subcontracted

• Identify the type of contractual arrangement contemplated for each subcontract and the rationale for the same

• Identify the cost or pricing data or information other than cost or pricing data submitted by each subcontractor

• Provide an analysis concerning the reasonableness, realism, and completeness of each subcontractor's proposal; if the analysis is based on a comparison with prior research efforts, identify the basis on which the prior costs or prices were determined to be reasonable

• Sole Source Justification (if subcontract was not competed)

Performance Based Payments (for FFP contract proposals only)

If a FFP contract is proposed and contract financing is desired:

(1) Provide a detailed breakout of proposed performance-based payments that includes

(i) all performance-based payment events (i.e. milestones),

(ii) completion criteria and

(iii) event values along with

(iv) the projected monthly expenditure profile

(2) Fill out provision 252.232-7015 Performance-Based Payments—Representation.

(3) Following clauses will be included in the contract:

(i) 52.232-32 Performance-Based Payments.

(ii) 252.232-7012 Performance-Based Payments—Whole-Contract Basis.

The basis for performance-based payments may be either specifically described events (e.g., milestones) or some measurable criterion of performance. Each event or performance criterion that will trigger a finance payment shall be an integral and necessary part of contract performance. At no point will cumulative Performance Based Payments be allowed to exceed cumulative cost incurred on the contract.

Sample list of milestone events:

# Volume 3 - Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Solicitation Provisions and Award Clauses, Terms and Conditions

Representations and Certifications

Provide statement whether FAR and DFARS Online Representations and Certifications have been completed through SAM at https://www.SAM.gov.

Note: Representations and certifications shall be completed by successful applicants prior to award. FAR Online Representations and Certifications are to be completed through SAM at https://www.SAM.gov.

As appropriate, DFARS and contract-specific certification packages as listed within BIG-ST BAA Provisions and Clauses (Separate File posted with this BAA General solicitation on Sam.gov) shall be filled out and submitted with the proposal.

Subcontracting Plan (Applicable to Procurement Contracts)

Include Subcontracting Plan as Attachment 3 of your proposal for all proposals over $750,000 (whether subcontractors were proposed or not). This requirement does not apply to small businesses.

You may also provide a copy of your Master Subcontracting Plan (along with the Individual Subcontracting Goals if applicable), Commercial Subcontracting Plan, or Comprehensive Subcontracting Test Program (CSP) Plan.

Section 4.5.7.2 (Subcontracting Plan) of the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation provides more information.

Intellectual Property

Note: Refer to Section 4.5.7.3 (Intellectual Property) of the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation for more information.

Proprietary and Otherwise Restricted Computer Software and Technical Data

Proposers who desire to use computer software or technical data that is proprietary or has other restrictions on its use, including through an open source license, as part of their proposed approach shall:

• Clearly identify such software/data and its proposed particular use(s);

• Explain the restrictions on the Government’s use of the software/data;

• Explain how the Government will be able to reach its program goals (including transition) within the proprietary/restricted use model offered; and

• Provide possible nonproprietary/non-restricted alternatives in any area that might present transition difficulties or increased risk or cost to the Government under the proposed proprietary/restricted use solution.

Commercial Tools

List all commercial tools or other materials necessary to implement the proposed approach.

Proposers expecting to use, but not to deliver, commercial tools or other materials in implementing their approach may be required to indemnify the Government against legal liability arising from such use.

Intellectual Property Representations

All proposers must provide a good faith representation of either ownership or possession of appropriate licensing rights to all intellectual property to be used for the proposed project.

Patents

All proposers must include documentation proving ownership or possession of appropriate licensing rights to all patented inventions to be used for the proposed project. If a patent application has been filed for an invention, but it includes proprietary information and is not publicly available, a proposer must provide documentation that includes:

(1) Patent application number;

(2) Inventor name(s);

(3) Indicate if proposer is the patent or invention owner; or identify licensor if not the proposers;

(4) Assignee names (if any);

(5) Filing date;

(6) Filing date of any related provisional application;

(7) Summary of the patent; and

(8) Either:

(i) a representation of invention ownership; or

(ii) proof of possession of appropriate licensing rights in the invention (i.e., an agreement from the owner of the patent granting license to the proposer).

Data Rights Assertions (Procurement Contracts)

Fill out Attachment 4 – Data Rights Assertion Table Template (as part of Volume 3); (see “Attachment 4 of Appendix 2 – Data Rights Assertion Table Template”).

If applicable, include data right restrictions that are directly applicable to the deliverables in Section 5 of the SOW; i.e. make a direct reference to the applicable deliverable.

In case of award, this list will become an attachment to the contract.

(1) Noncommercial Items (Technical Data and Computer Software):

Proposers requesting a procurement contract must list all noncommercial technical data and computer software in which the Government will acquire less than unlimited rights. Proposers shall assert specific restrictions on those items in accordance with DFARS 252.227-7013, “Rights in Technical Data - Noncommercial Items,” and DFARS 252.227-7014, “Rights in Noncommercial Computer Software and Noncommercial Computer Software Documentation”. In the event a proposer does not submit the list, the Government will assume that it has unlimited rights to all noncommercial technical data and computer software generated, developed, and/or delivered.

(2) Commercial Items (Technical Data and Computer Software):

Proposers requesting a procurement contract must list all commercial technical data and commercial computer software that may be used under the research project, and assert any applicable restrictions on the Government’s use of such commercial technical data and/or computer software. In the event a proposer does not submit the list, the Government will assume there are no restrictions on the Government’s use of such commercial items.

Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI) Disclosure and Analysis Form(s)

Fill out OCI Disclosure form at Appendix 2 - Attachment 5 IAW instructions of the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation.

Include completed and signed form as Attachment 5 of your proposal.

This form shall also be submitted if no actual or potential OCI is identified.

# Volume 4 - Security

Only submit with proposal if requested within Topic Call.

For Topic calls that will require classified work and/or access to classified information, NGA will provide specific instructions for submitting a Security Plan and all required annexes. Instructions will also provide information on how NGA will evaluate the Security Plan and annexes. If additional security requirements are released at the Topic level, proposers shall adhere to the security requirements to be eligible to participate in the applicable Topic Area.

NGA will also provide specific instructions for projects that require access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

Refer to Section 4.5.8 (Volume 4 – SECURITY) of the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation for additional information.

If a security volume is required, the following templates are available within this document:

• Attachment 6 - Acquisition Security Review (ASR) Questionnaire – Lists Contractor and Subcontractor information

• Attachment 7 - Facility Clearance Level (FCL)

• Attachment 8 - Personnel Security Clearance Level (PCL)

# Attachment 1– SOW

Statement of Work

Submit as a separate file, as Attachment 1 to Volume 1.

The SOW shall not exceed 5 pages (excl. list of deliverables).

It should clearly detail the scope of the effort and the specific research to be performed.

This document will become an attachment to the contract in case of award.

The SOW needs to stand on its own without making references to the technical proposal.

Do not include any proprietary information within the SOW.

1. Objective:

Brief overview of what you are trying to accomplish and how it advances the customer’s goals and expectations. It does not need to include a description of deliverables or requirements since these will be included in the “Tasks” section below.

2. Scope:

A statement of what work is covered under the proposed effort. Provide a concise overview of the proposed work to be performed. It does not need to include a description of deliverables since these will be included in the “Tasks” section below.

3. Background:

This section includes any information, explanations, or constraints that are necessary to understand the requirements. It could explain previous efforts that lead to the current state of the technology. It may include relationship to previous, current, and future operations, as well as historical or parallel efforts, such as other agency activities and/or industry efforts, that provide additional information related to proposed work.

4. Tasks:

A clear, detailed description of major task(s) and sub-task(s) that represent the work to be performed. This section of SOW shall be arranged systematically and logically, and presented in sufficient detail to establish the feasibility of accomplishing the overall program goals and how it advances the Topic.

The work effort should be segregated into major tasks and sub-tasks with each of the major tasks identified in separately numbered paragraphs. The SOW must contain all tasks and sub-tasks to be accomplished.

All tasks must be definite, realistic, and clearly stated. Use “shall” whenever the work statement expresses a provision that is binding. Use “should” or “may” whenever it is necessary to express a declaration of purpose. Use “will” in cases where no Proposer requirement is involved; e.g., data will be supplied by the Government.

If travel is identified for cost type contracts, put the following statement in the SOW: “All travel will be accomplished in accordance with FAR 31.205-46.”

Describe the technical approach, organizational resources and management controls to be employed to meet the cost, performance and schedule requirements throughout task order execution.

5. Quality Assurance Matrix:

Address how quality will be measured and maintained for the proposed work being performed.

6. Contract Deliverables:

This section is not included in the 5-page limit.

All contract deliverables associated with the proposal shall be identified and described under this section. The deliverables shall include all deliverables requested in each Topic Call but may also include additional deliverables. Describe precisely the items to be delivered, both during the period of performance and at completion of the project. Deliverables should be referenced back to their requirement in the “Tasks” section. Describe the schedule either in terms of calendar days from the date of performance start or in calendar days when other projects or program elements are dependent on the delivery (e.g., 10 calendar days after draft plan is approved).

# Attachment 2 - Cost/Price Breakout

Proposers shall submit a Cost/Price Breakout as Attachment 2 using an MS Excel spreadsheet; (IAW with the instructions of the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation and Appendix 2, Section 2).

The proposal shall separate cost/price by base and option periods.

Labor, material/equipment/other direct costs (ODC), and travel shall clearly be broken out on separate contract line items.

Sample CLIN structure for a procurement contract:

Sample Cost Summary:

*Note: FFP, LH, and T&M contract proposals are not expected to break out indirect cost.

# Attachment 3– Subcontracting Plan

Submit as a separate file, as Attachment 3.

Provide copy of Subcontracting Plan (for all proposals over $750,000 [whether subcontractors were proposed or not]. This requirement does not apply to small businesses).

You may also provide a copy of your Master Subcontracting Plan (along with the Individual Subcontracting Goals if applicable), Commercial Subcontracting Plan, or Comprehensive Subcontracting Test Program (CSP) Plan.

In case of award the plan will become an attachment to the contract.

# Attachment 4– Data Rights Assertion Table

Data Rights Assertion Table

Submit as a separate file, as Attachment 4, (IAW with the instructions of the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation and Appendix 2, Section 3.3).

In case of award the document will become an attachment to the contract.

Any listed restrictions shall be directly applicable to the deliverables of the proposed effort and shall, therefore, reference the applicable deliverables listed within the SOW.

Proposer asserts for itself, or the persons identified below, that the Government's rights to use, release, or disclose the following technical data or computer software should be restricted:

*For technical data (other than computer software documentation) pertaining to items, components, or processes developed at private expense, identify both the deliverable technical data and each such item, component, or process. For computer software or computer software documentation identify the software or documentation.

**Generally, development at private expense, either exclusively or partially, is the only basis for asserting restrictions. For technical data, other than computer software documentation, development refers to development of the item, component, or process to which the data pertain. The Government's rights in computer software documentation generally may not be restricted. For computer software, development refers to the software. Indicate whether development was accomplished exclusively or partially at private expense. If development was not accomplished at private expense, or for computer software documentation, enter the specific basis for asserting restrictions.

*Enter asserted rights category (e.g., government purpose license rights from a prior contract, rights in SBIR data generated under another contract, limited, restricted, or government purpose rights under this or a prior contract, or specially negotiated licenses).

**Corporation, individual, or other person, as appropriate.

*Enter “none” when all data or software will be submitted without restrictions.

# Attachment 5 - OCI Disclosure and Analysis Form

OCI General Instructions

Blocks 1 through 5: Self-explanatory.

Block 6: Fill in the number and the short, official title by which the contract or subcontract requiring analysis and determination is formally known. This is work that has already been awarded, is being performed by your company, and requires a comparison with that work described in Blocks 1-5.

NOTE: One OCI Disclosure and Analysis Form shall be submitted for EACH NGA contract or subcontract currently being performed.

Block 7: Provide a brief, but specific, narrative summary of the SOO and work performed on the contract or subcontract listed in Block 6, including the period of performance and the value. Continue on additional pages if more space is necessary.

Block 8: Provide a brief, but specific, narrative summary of ANY relationship between the work to be performed under the action listed in Block 1 and the previous work performed under the action listed in Block 6. Please be as specific as possible by citing the specific RFP/SOO paragraph where possible. Continue on additional pages if more space is necessary.

Block 9: Place an "X" inside the appropriate brackets to indicate your responses.

Block 10: If you answer yes either to 9(a) or to 9(b), provide a summary of the actual or potential OCI. Continue on additional pages if more space is necessary.

Blocks 11, 12, and 13: Provide the name of your company official with responsibility for and authority to discuss and commit the company on matters relating to OCI issues. That official should then sign and date each form.

Blocks 14 through 16: Self-explanatory.

# Attachment 6 - Acquisition Security Review (ASR) Questionnaire

Lists Contractor and Subcontractor information

Only fill out if requested within Topic Call.

# Attachment 7 - Facility Clearance Level (FCL)

Only fill out if requested within Topic Call.

Facility Security Clearance Level and Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence Information (Template)

Note: This document contains personally identifiable information and is for official use only. Unauthorized dissemination or use of personally identifiable information is a violation of Federal law. Individuals in violation may be subject to fines, disciplinary actions or both (P.L. 93-579).

# Attachment 8 - Personnel Security Clearance Level (PCL)

Only fill out if requested within Topic Call.

Personnel Security Clearance Information (Template)

Note: This document contains personally identifiable information and is for official use only. Unauthorized dissemination or use of personally identifiable information is a violation of Federal law. Individuals in violation may be subject to fines, disciplinary actions or both (P.L. 93-579)

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APPENDIX 5 Grants Coops_version2_20260316

UNCLASSIFIED
BIGST BAA - Appendix 05
Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
Appendix 05 – Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal
Preparation & Submission Instructions (Version 2)
The following is supplemental information to the BIGST BAA General Solicitation Section 4.5.2
Change History
*Changes are highlighted in yellow throughout this document.
Date Section Description
12/20/2024 Section 4.5.2.4, Updated table in reference to removal of one attachment
(2)(c) (PSPP) and re-numbering of FCL and PCL attachment
Section 4.5.2.4, Renamed Section to ‘Research and Technology Protection’
(2)(c), Volume • Added subsection Common Disclosure Forms
4, Research and (applicable to Fundamental Research)
Technology • Removed subsection ‘Controlled Unclassified
Protection Information (CUI)’ and ‘Classified Submissions and
Topics’
Section 4.5.2.5 Removed Section 4.5.2.5 Grants and Cooperative
Agreements Due Diligence and Research Security Program
Requirements
➔ Information was moved to file entitled “Research and
Technology Protection_BIGST BAA”
Section 4.5.2.6 Section Intellectual Property was renumbered to Section
4.5.2.5
02/23/2026 Appendix 05 Added version control “Version 2”
Section 4.5.2.2 Revised instruction language
Section 4.5.2.4 Revised instruction language
Section 4.5.2.4, Delete Table
2(c)
Section 4.5.2.4, The Common Disclosure Form shall be submitted with the
Volume 4 Proposal
Section 4.5.2.4, Updated language for Equipment and ODCs
(5)(2) and (5)(4)
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Table of Contents
4.5 Proposal Preparation and Submission Information............................................................... 3
......................................................................................................................................... 3
Proposal Preparation and Submission Information for Grants and Cooperative
Agreements ............................................................................................................................. 3
4.5.2.1 Application Process ............................................................................................ 3
4.5.2.2 Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission ....................... 4
4.5.2.3 Content and Format............................................................................................. 5
4.5.2.4 Forms .................................................................................................................. 5
(1) Form SF-424 (R&R): Application for Federal Assistance (Mandatory) .................. 6
(2) Research & Related Other Project Information (Mandatory) ................................... 6
(3) Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) – Mandatory ............ 9
(4) Research & Related Personal Data – Mandatory .................................................... 10
(5) Research & Related Budget - Mandatory ............................................................... 10
(6) Form SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable) .......................... 12
4.5.2.5 Intellectual Property .......................................................................................... 14
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4.5 Proposal Preparation and Submission Information
Proposal Preparation and Submission Information for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements
Grants.gov is the mandatory submission portal for grant and cooperative agreement proposals.
Grants.gov registration must be completed prior to application through this process.
Carefully follow the NGA submission instructions provided with the solicitation application
package on Grants.gov. Note: Grants.gov does not accept zipped or encrypted proposals.
Specific forms are required for submission of a proposal via Grants.gov. The forms are
contained in the Application Package available through the Grants.gov application process.
4.5.2.1 Application Process
Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online
environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web
forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement (FOA), you can create
individual instances of a workspace. Below is an overview for applying on Grants.gov. For
access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to the resources on
Grants.gov:
1. Applicants must create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to then complete
it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.
2. Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application
together, complete all the required forms online or by downloading PDF versions, and
check for errors before submission. The Workspace progress bar will display the state of
your application process. As you apply using Workspace, you may click the blue
question mark icon near the upper-right corner of each page to access context-sensitive
help.
a. Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk
and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be
completed to successfully submit your application.
b. Complete SF-424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required
fields across other forms, such as the applicant’s name, address, and Unique Entity
Identifier (UEI) number. Once it is completed, the information will transfer to the
other forms.
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Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
3. Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking
the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab.
Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to
the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may
disrupt the application submission.
4. Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a
Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the
application. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after
submission. Using the tracking number, access the Track My Application page under the
Applicants tab or the Details tab in the submitted workspace.
Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-
518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. For questions related to the specific grant
opportunity, contact the number listed in the application package of the grant you are applying
for.
If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support
Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the NGA with
tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.
4.5.2.2 Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission
Online Submission. All applications must be received by the date and time specified by NGA.
Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic date/time
stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by
Grants.gov. The applicant with the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role, who
submitted the application, will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number
(GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application.
This applicant with the AOR role will also receive the official date/time stamp and Grants.gov
Tracking number in an email, serving as proof of their timely submission.
When NGA successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, and acknowledges the
download of submissions, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt of
the application to the email address of the applicant with the AOR role who submitted the
application. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that Grants.gov
receives your application. Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date for
the program will be considered late and will not be considered for funding by NGA.
Applicants should send a courtesy email to OCSGrants@nga.mil to ensure NGA is aware
of the submitted application. Upon successful download of the application package, NGA
will provide the Applicant with confirmation status.
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Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
4.5.2.3 Content and Format
The proposal shall stand on its own merit. Only information provided in the proposal will be
used in the evaluation process leading to an award. The proposal should provide straightforward
and concise descriptions of proposed work.
Do not use acronyms or abbreviations without defining acronyms and abbreviations at the
first use; place the abbreviation in parenthesis immediately following the phrase. This
provides the definition for each subsequent reuse.
The proposal shall be signed by the authorized institutional representative. If the electronic
version of the proposal does not include a signature from the appropriate representative of the
Applicant, the Government Grant’s Officer may determine the proposal to be non-compliant.
4.5.2.4 Forms
Applicants must complete the mandatory forms in accordance with the instructions on the forms
and the additional instructions below.
Files attached to the forms must be in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and searchable.
The Application Package Template entitled “BIGST BAA (HM047623BAA0001) Application
Package Template” can be found under the ‘PACKAGE’ tab of the BIGST BAA Solicitation on
Grants.gov.
The following is a list of the forms:
(1) Form SF-424 (Research & Related (R&R)): Application for Federal Assistance
(Mandatory)
(2) Research & Related Other Project Information (Mandatory)
(3) Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) (Mandatory)
(4) Research & Related Personal Data (Mandatory)
(5) Research & Related Budget (Mandatory)
(6) Form SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)
Detailed instructions on how to fill out the above listed forms follow in the following sections.
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Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
(1) Form SF-424 (R&R): Application for Federal Assistance (Mandatory)
Complete this form first to populate data in other forms. Complete all the required fields in
accordance with the pop-up instructions on the form.
The SF-424 (R&R) is to be used as the cover page for all proposals. The AOR usernames and
passwords serve as “electronic signatures” when your organization submits applications through
Grants.gov. By using the SF-424 (R&R), Applicants are providing the certification required by
32 CFR Part 28 regarding lobbying. The SF-424 (R&R) shall be fully completed. Block 11,
“Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project,” shall reference the research topic area(s) being
addressed in the effort by identifying the specific paragraph from an amendment of this BAA
(one or more of the technical “domains”)
(2) Research & Related Other Project Information (Mandatory)
(a) Complete questions 1 through 6.
(b) Abstract (Field 7 on the Form)
The Abstract is a single page that identifies the research problem; technical approaches;
anticipated outcome of the research, if successful; and impact on NGA’s capabilities. It identifies
the Principal Investigator, the institution and other institutions involved in the team, if any, and
the proposal title.
Do not include proprietary or confidential information. The Abstract submitted by the applicant
must be publicly releasable as it will be posted on a public website. Abstracts of all funded
projects will be posted on the public Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) website at:
https://discover.dtic.mil/grant/
(c) Project Narrative (Field 8 on the Form)
Attach the following to Field 8 of the R & R - Other Project Information Form:
Applicants shall submit proposals in accordance with the BIGST BAA, Appendix 2
Proposal_Template.
Please note that Volume 2 & 3 and Attachment 1,2,3,4,5 of the Proposal Template does NOT
apply to Grants and Cooperative Agreements. These Volumes and Attachments are replaced by
the R&R forms mentioned in this document.
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Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
Appendix 2 includes detailed instructions on required proposal volume information. Applicants
are prohibited from altering any of the settings in this template (i.e. font, font size, line spacing,
margins). Graphics/illustrations are allowed and are not subject to the format restrictions. Tables
are allowed but are subject to format restrictions.
Any proposal that does not utilize the required template at Appendix 2 will not be reviewed
and will not be considered for award.
Reference Description Format Page limit
See template in Appendix 2
Cover Page PDF N/A
(Digital signature required)
Table of
See template in Appendix 2 PDF N/A
Contents
20 page limit if not
specified in Topic
Bibliography:2 pages (not
incl. in page count)
Relevant Papers: max. 3
Volume 1 TECHNICAL/ MANAGEMENT Adobe PDF papers on 10 pages total
(not incl. in page count)
Resumes: max. 2 resumes
(one shall be of PI; not incl.
in page count)
SECURITY
Volume 4 Adobe PDF None
(Instructions at Topic Level)
Acquisition Security Review (ASR)
Questionnaire –
Attachment 6 Adobe PDF None
Lists Contractor and Subcontractor
information
(Instructions at Topic Level)
Facility Clearance Level (FCL)
Attachment 7 Adobe PDF None
(Instructions at Topic Level)
Personnel Security Clearance Level
Attachment 8 (PCL) Adobe PDF None
(Instructions at Topic Level)
FILE NAMING CONVENTION
Applicants shall submit each proposal volume and attachment as a separate file in accordance
with (IAW) the structure laid out above.
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These files shall be attached to Field 8 of the SF-424 (R & R) - Other Project Information
Form.
Files shall be labeled by the following naming convention (Short Version of Applicant Name +
Topic Number + Volume or Attachment Number):
Applicant Name_T#_Vol #
Applicant Name_T#_Att #
Volume 1 -Technical/Management
The detailed proposal portion of Volume 1, including any appendices, tables, or figures, shall be
no greater than twenty (20) pages in length, unless otherwise specified within the topic call
instructions. Reviewers will not review any pages beyond the 20-page limit. The information
required within this volume is listed within the proposal template.
Volume 4 - SECURITY
Research and Technology Protection
Common Disclosure Forms (applicable to Fundamental Research)
Awards which cover fundamental research (see definition in Appendix 6) funded by the
Department of Defense (DoD), regardless of award instrument or type of proposing entity, are
required to submit certified Common Disclosure Forms for each covered individual (see
Appendix 6 for definition) in accordance with “Countering Unwanted Foreign Influence in
Department-Funded Research at Institutions of Higher Education”, dated 29 June 2023.
The Common Disclosure Forms shall be submitted with the Applicant’s proposal.
The Common Disclosure Forms shall only be submitted upon NGA’s request after proposal
selection.
Applicants will not submit them with their initial proposal package. Instead, NGA will first
complete the scientific review process and select the proposals that will be funded.
NGA will request these forms from Applicants whose proposals were selected for funding; the
‘Research and Technology Protection’ attachment provides the link to the two Common
Disclosure Forms. (Separate File posted with this BAA General solicitation on SAM.gov and
Grants.gov.)
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(3) Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) –
Mandatory
To evaluate compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. § 1681
et.seq.), the Department of Defense (DoD) is collecting certain demographic and career
information to assess the success rates of women who are proposed for key roles in applications
in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In addition, the National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2019, Section 1286, directs the Secretary of Defense
to protect intellectual property, controlled information, key personnel, and information about
critical technologies relevant to national security and limit undue influence, including foreign
talent programs by countries that desire to exploit United States’ technology within the DoD
research, science and technology, and innovation enterprise.
The Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form, available on the
Grants.gov website, will be used to collect the above data, and the following information for all
senior/key personnel, including Project Director/Principal Investigator and Co-Project
Director/Co-Principal Investigator, whether or not the individuals' efforts under the project are to
be funded by the DoD:
• Degree Type and Degree Year fields as the source for career information.
• A list of all current projects the individual is working on, in addition to any future
support the individual has applied to receive, regardless of the source.
• Title and objectives of the other research projects.
• The percentage per year to be devoted to the other projects.
• The total amount of support the individual is receiving in connection to each of the
other research projects, or will receive if other proposals are awarded.
• Name and address of the agencies and/or other parties supporting the other research
projects.
• Period of performance for the other research projects.
Additional senior/key persons can be added by selecting the “Next Person” button at the bottom
of the form. Note that, although applications without this information completed may pass
Grants.gov edit checks, if NGA receives an application without the required information, NGA
may determine that the application is incomplete and may cause your submission to be rejected
and eliminated from further review and consideration under the BAA. NGA reserves the right to
request further details from the applicant before making a final determination on funding the
effort.
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Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
The research team resumes should be attached to the R&R Senior/Key Person (Expanded) form
under the “biographical sketch” section.
The offeror shall provide a resume/CV of no more than two pages for each of the key researchers
who plan to contribute to the project, regardless of whether they will charge time to the project.
Each resume should contain at least the following information:
Qualifications. Provide typical curriculum vitae information.
Relevant Accomplishments. Provide a summary of accomplishments (“track record”) in the
same research topic area, or a closely related area, as the proposed research.
(4) Research & Related Personal Data – Mandatory
This form will be used by DoD as the source of demographic information, such as gender, race,
ethnicity, and disability information for the Project Director/Principal Investigator and all other
persons identified as Co-Project Director(s)/Co-Principal Investigator(s). Each application must
include this form with the name fields of the Project Director/Principal Investigator and any Co-
Project Director(s)/Co-Principal Investigator(s) completed; however, provision of the
demographic information in the form is voluntary. If completing the form for multiple
individuals, each Co-Project Director/Co-Principal Investigator can be added by selecting the
“Next Person” button. The demographic information, if provided, will be used for statistical
purposes only and will not be made available to merit reviewers. Applicants who do not wish to
provide some or all of the information should check or select the “Do not wish to provide”
option.
(5) Research & Related Budget - Mandatory
Research and Related Budget shall include all financial aspects of the proposed research.
There is no page limit for the Research Costs (Itemized Budget) section of the proposal. Cost
estimates should include sufficient detail for meaningful evaluation, including cost details for
proposed sub-awards. For proposal purposes, the offeror should propose a start date. The cost
proposal must include the total cost of the project as well as a breakdown of the amount(s) by
source(s) of funding, e.g., funds requested from NGA, other Government funding, and
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institutional funds to be provided as cost sharing. Costs should be broken down for each year of
the program and shown by cost element for each year. Cost elements, total costs for each year of
the base period and each cost element, and totals for each proposed optional follow-on year, if
any, shall be provided.
Costs for entertainment, amusement, diversion and social activities and any costs directly
associated with such activities are unallowable in accordance with OMB 2 CFR Part 220
(formerly Circular A-21). NGA will not provide funding for direct reimbursement of proposal
development costs.
The annual budget should be driven by program requirements, and the funding breakdown shall
correspond to the proposed research plan that was provided as part of the Research and Related
Other Project Information Form. This section shall include statements as to the basis of estimate
for all proposed costs. Cost elements should include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Direct labor. Individual labor categories or persons, with associated labor hours and
unburdened direct labor rates. Provide escalation rates for out years. Include all personnel
who will charge time to the project (i.e., the Principal Investigator, other faculty,
institutional staff, graduate and undergraduate students) as well as their commensurate
salaries and benefits. Applicants shall provide supporting documents in PDF for the
current salaries of key personnel and authorization of student salaries. Salaries of
administrative and clerical staff are normally indirect costs included in indirect cost rates,
but direct charging of these costs may be appropriate when a major project requires
administrative or clerical support significantly greater than normal, routine levels of
support. Budgets proposing direct charging of administrative or clerical salaries must be
supported by budget justifications that adequately describe the major projects, and the
administrative and/or clerical work to be performed.
2. Equipment. Equipment is normally furnished by the Recipient. Allowable equipment
will ordinarily be limited to specialized equipment that is not already available for the
conduct of the work. If acquisition of equipment is proposed, a justification for the
purchase of the items must be provided, and the costs of equipment must be broken down
in sufficient detail for evaluation. Provide an itemized list of all equipment costs and the
basis for the estimate. Supporting documentation (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog
price lists) shall be provided to assist the Government during evaluations. Applicants
shall provide supporting documents in PDF for cumulative proposed equipment cost
above $5,000. General purpose equipment (i.e., equipment not used exclusively for
research, scientific or other technical activities, such as personal computers, office
equipment and furnishings) is not eligible for support and should not be requested, unless
it will be used primarily or exclusively for the project. For computer/laptop purchases and
other general-purpose equipment, if proposed, include a statement indicating how each
item of equipment will be integrated into the program, or used as an integral part of the
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research effort. Equipment costs should be budgeted primarily during the first year.
3. Travel. The proposed travel cost should include the following for each trip: the purpose
of the trip, origin and destination if known, approximate duration, and the number of
travelers. The estimated cost per trip must be justified, based on the organization’s
historical average cost per trip or another reasonable basis. Such estimates and the
resultant costs claimed must comply with the applicable federal cost principles.
4. Other direct costs. Provide an itemized list of all other proposed other direct costs, such
as Graduate Assistant tuition; materials and supplies; publication, documentation and
dissemination costs; computer services; and communication costs not included in
overhead; and provide the basis for the estimate. Supporting documentation (e.g., quotes,
prior purchases, catalog price lists) shall be provided to assist the Government during
evaluations. For consultant services, provide a breakdown of the consultant's hours, the
hourly rate proposed, any other proposed consultant costs, a copy of the signed
Consulting Agreement or other documentation supporting the proposed consultant
rate/cost, and a copy of the consultant's proposed statement of work if it is not already
separately identified in the prime contractor's proposal.
5. Sub-awards. Provide a description of the work to be performed by the sub-recipients.
For each sub-award, a detailed cost proposal is required to be included in the principal
investigator's cost proposal. Fee/profit is unallowable. (SF-424 (R & R) Sub-award
Budget Attachment(s), included as an optional form in the application package template,
shall be completed if sub-awards are included in the proposal.)
6. Fringe benefits and indirect costs (i.e., Facilities and Administrative Costs,
Overhead, G&A). The proposal should show the rates and calculation of the costs for
each rate category. If the rates have been approved or negotiated by a Government
agency, provide a PDF copy of the memorandum/agreement. If the rates have not been
approved or negotiated, provide sufficient detail to determine whether the costs are
allowable, allocated to the proper cost pool, and reasonable based on their allocation.
Also include documentation describing how the rates were calculated. Additional
information may be requested, if needed. If composite rates are used, provide the
calculations (in excel) used in deriving the composite rates.
7. Fee/Profit. Fee/profit is unallowable.
(6) Form SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)
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Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
If an Applicant has lobbying activities to disclose per 31 U.S. Code § 1352, they shall complete
Form SF-LLL, included as an optional form in the application package, and submit it along with
the other Grants.gov application forms, as an attachment to block 18 to the SF 424 (R&R) form.
Grant awards greater than $100,000.00 require a certification of compliance with a national
policy mandate concerning lobbying. Statutes and Government-wide regulations require the
certification to be submitted prior to award. When submitting your grant proposal through
Grants.gov, by completing Form SF-LLL and attaching it to blocks 18 of the SF 424 (R&R)
form, the grant applicant is providing the certification on lobbying required by 32 CFR Part 28;
otherwise a copy signed by the AOR shall be provided. Below is the required certification:
32 CFR Appendix A to Part 28 – Certification Regarding Lobbying: Certification for Contracts,
Grants, Loans, and Cooperative Agreements. The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her
knowledge and belief, that:
(1) No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of
the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an
officer or employee of an agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or
employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection
with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the
making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and
the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any
Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.
(2) If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid
to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee
of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or
an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract,
grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and
submit SF-LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its
instructions.
(3) The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included
in the award documents for all sub-awards at all tiers (including subcontracts,
sub-grants, and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and
that all sub-recipients shall certify and disclose accordingly.
This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this
transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for
making or entering into this transaction imposed by 31 U.S. Code § 1352. Any person who fails
to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000.00 and
not more than $100,000.00 for each such failure.
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Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
In accordance with Continuing Appropriations Act, 2017 (Pub. L. 114-223), or any other Act
that extends the same prohibitions as contained in section 743, division E, title VII, of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Pub. L. 114-113), none of the funds appropriated or
otherwise made available by that or any other Act may be made available for a grant or
cooperative agreement with an entity that requires its employees or contractors seeking to report
fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or
otherwise restricting those employees or contractors from lawfully reporting that waste, fraud, or
abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or
agency authorized to receive the information.
4.5.2.5 Intellectual Property
Intellectual property and data rights for concepts, research findings and developed products
under this Broad Agency Announcement will vary due to topic, security protection requirements,
and final negotiated contract vehicle type. Applicants should note that the Government will not
own the intellectual property, including technical data/computer software, developed under this
BAA. Instead, NGA, as a DoD Component, does reserve a royalty-free, nonexclusive and
irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal purposes, and to
authorize others to do so as well. In addition, as allowed by 35 U.S. Code 202, NGA may
determine that it is best to restrict or eliminate the right to retain title on any subject
invention funded under this BAA to protect the security of such activities due to U.S. export
control laws, Government furnished information, or security classification.
For Grants and Cooperative Agreements, the intent is to fund fundamental research or develop
products for the public good and as such, the Government does not seek unlimited rights or an
exclusive license for this research except for restrictions above.
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
Appendix 05 – Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal
Preparation & Submission Instructions (Version 3)
The following is supplemental information to the BIGST BAA General Solicitation Section 4.5.2
Change History
*Changes are highlighted in yellow throughout this document.
Date Section Description
12/20/2024 Section 4.5.2.4, Updated table in reference to removal of one attachment
(2)(c) (PSPP) and re-numbering of FCL and PCL attachment
Section 4.5.2.4, Renamed Section to ‘Research and Technology Protection’
(2)(c), Volume • Added subsection Common Disclosure Forms
4, Research and (applicable to Fundamental Research)
Technology • Removed subsection ‘Controlled Unclassified
Protection Information (CUI)’ and ‘Classified Submissions and
Topics’
Section 4.5.2.5 Removed Section 4.5.2.5 Grants and Cooperative
Agreements Due Diligence and Research Security Program
Requirements
➔ Information was moved to file entitled “Research and
Technology Protection_BIGST BAA”
Section 4.5.2.6 Section Intellectual Property was renumbered to Section
4.5.2.5
02/23/2026 Appendix 05 Added version control “Version 2”
Section 4.5.2.2 Revised instruction language
Section 4.5.2.4 Revised instruction language
Section 4.5.2.4, Delete Table
2(c)
Section 4.5.2.4, The Common Disclosure Form shall be submitted with the
Volume 4 Proposal
Section 4.5.2.4, Updated language for Equipment and ODCs
(5)(2) and (5)(4)
03/24/2026 Section 4.5.2.4 Field 7 is for the Project Summary/Abstract of the Proposal
(2)
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Table of Contents
4.5 Proposal Preparation and Submission Information............................................................... 3
......................................................................................................................................... 3
Proposal Preparation and Submission Information for Grants and Cooperative
Agreements ............................................................................................................................. 3
4.5.2.1 Application Process ............................................................................................ 3
4.5.2.2 Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission ....................... 4
4.5.2.3 Content and Format............................................................................................. 5
4.5.2.4 Forms .................................................................................................................. 5
(1) Form SF-424 (R&R): Application for Federal Assistance (Mandatory) .................. 6
(2) Research & Related Other Project Information (Mandatory) ................................... 6
(3) Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) – Mandatory ............ 9
(4) Research & Related Personal Data – Mandatory .................................................... 10
(5) Research & Related Budget - Mandatory ............................................................... 10
(6) Form SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable) .......................... 12
4.5.2.5 Intellectual Property .......................................................................................... 14
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
4.5 Proposal Preparation and Submission Information
Proposal Preparation and Submission Information for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements
Grants.gov is the mandatory submission portal for grant and cooperative agreement proposals.
Grants.gov registration must be completed prior to application through this process.
Carefully follow the NGA submission instructions provided with the solicitation application
package on Grants.gov. Note: Grants.gov does not accept zipped or encrypted proposals.
Specific forms are required for submission of a proposal via Grants.gov. The forms are
contained in the Application Package available through the Grants.gov application process.
4.5.2.1 Application Process
Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online
environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web
forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement (FOA), you can create
individual instances of a workspace. Below is an overview for applying on Grants.gov. For
access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to the resources on
Grants.gov:
1. Applicants must create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to then complete
it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.
2. Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application
together, complete all the required forms online or by downloading PDF versions, and
check for errors before submission. The Workspace progress bar will display the state of
your application process. As you apply using Workspace, you may click the blue
question mark icon near the upper-right corner of each page to access context-sensitive
help.
a. Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk
and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be
completed to successfully submit your application.
b. Complete SF-424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required
fields across other forms, such as the applicant’s name, address, and Unique Entity
Identifier (UEI) number. Once it is completed, the information will transfer to the
other forms.
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
3. Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking
the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab.
Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to
the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may
disrupt the application submission.
4. Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a
Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the
application. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after
submission. Using the tracking number, access the Track My Application page under the
Applicants tab or the Details tab in the submitted workspace.
Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-
518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. For questions related to the specific grant
opportunity, contact the number listed in the application package of the grant you are applying
for.
If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support
Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the NGA with
tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.
4.5.2.2 Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission
Online Submission. All applications must be received by the date and time specified by NGA.
Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic date/time
stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by
Grants.gov. The applicant with the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role, who
submitted the application, will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number
(GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application.
This applicant with the AOR role will also receive the official date/time stamp and Grants.gov
Tracking number in an email, serving as proof of their timely submission.
When NGA successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, and acknowledges the
download of submissions, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt of
the application to the email address of the applicant with the AOR role who submitted the
application. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that Grants.gov
receives your application. Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date for
the program will be considered late and will not be considered for funding by NGA.
Applicants should send a courtesy email to OCSGrants@nga.mil to ensure NGA is aware
of the submitted application. Upon successful download of the application package, NGA
will provide the Applicant with confirmation status.
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
4.5.2.3 Content and Format
The proposal shall stand on its own merit. Only information provided in the proposal will be
used in the evaluation process leading to an award. The proposal should provide straightforward
and concise descriptions of proposed work.
Do not use acronyms or abbreviations without defining acronyms and abbreviations at the
first use; place the abbreviation in parenthesis immediately following the phrase. This
provides the definition for each subsequent reuse.
The proposal shall be signed by the authorized institutional representative. If the electronic
version of the proposal does not include a signature from the appropriate representative of the
Applicant, the Government Grant’s Officer may determine the proposal to be non-compliant.
4.5.2.4 Forms
Applicants must complete the mandatory forms in accordance with the instructions on the forms
and the additional instructions below.
Files attached to the forms must be in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and searchable.
The Application Package Template entitled “BIGST BAA (HM047623BAA0001) Application
Package Template” can be found under the ‘PACKAGE’ tab of the BIGST BAA Solicitation on
Grants.gov.
The following is a list of the forms:
(1) Form SF-424 (Research & Related (R&R)): Application for Federal Assistance
(Mandatory)
(2) Research & Related Other Project Information (Mandatory)
(3) Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) (Mandatory)
(4) Research & Related Personal Data (Mandatory)
(5) Research & Related Budget (Mandatory)
(6) Form SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)
Detailed instructions on how to fill out the above listed forms follow in the following sections.
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BIGST BAA - Appendix 05
Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
(1) Form SF-424 (R&R): Application for Federal Assistance (Mandatory)
Complete this form first to populate data in other forms. Complete all the required fields in
accordance with the pop-up instructions on the form.
The SF-424 (R&R) is to be used as the cover page for all proposals. The AOR usernames and
passwords serve as “electronic signatures” when your organization submits applications through
Grants.gov. By using the SF-424 (R&R), Applicants are providing the certification required by
32 CFR Part 28 regarding lobbying. The SF-424 (R&R) shall be fully completed. Block 11,
“Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project,” shall reference the research topic area(s) being
addressed in the effort by identifying the specific paragraph from an amendment of this BAA
(one or more of the technical “domains”)
(2) Research & Related Other Project Information (Mandatory)
(a) Complete questions 1 through 6.
(b) Project Summary/Abstract (Field 7 on the Form)
The Project Summary/Abstract is a single page that identifies the research problem; technical
approaches; anticipated outcome of the research, if successful; and impact on NGA’s
capabilities. It identifies the Principal Investigator, the institution and other institutions involved
in the team, if any, and the proposal title.
Do not include proprietary or confidential information. The Project Summary/Abstract submitted
by the applicant must be publicly releasable as it will be posted on a public website. Abstracts of
all funded projects will be posted on the public Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
website at: https://discover.dtic.mil/grant/
(c) Project Narrative (Field 8 on the Form)
Attach the following to Field 8 of the R & R - Other Project Information Form:
Applicants shall submit proposals in accordance with the BIGST BAA, Appendix 2
Proposal_Template.
Please note that Volume 2 & 3 and Attachment 1,2,3,4,5 of the Proposal Template does NOT
apply to Grants and Cooperative Agreements. These Volumes and Attachments are replaced by
the R&R forms mentioned in this document.
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
Appendix 2 includes detailed instructions on required proposal volume information. Applicants
are prohibited from altering any of the settings in this template (i.e. font, font size, line spacing,
margins). Graphics/illustrations are allowed and are not subject to the format restrictions. Tables
are allowed but are subject to format restrictions.
Any proposal that does not utilize the required template at Appendix 2 will not be reviewed
and will not be considered for award.
Reference Description Format Page limit
See template in Appendix 2
Cover Page PDF N/A
(Digital signature required)
Table of
See template in Appendix 2 PDF N/A
Contents
20 page limit if not
specified in Topic
Bibliography:2 pages (not
incl. in page count)
Relevant Papers: max. 3
Volume 1 TECHNICAL/ MANAGEMENT Adobe PDF papers on 10 pages total
(not incl. in page count)
Resumes: max. 2 resumes
(one shall be of PI; not incl.
in page count)
SECURITY
Volume 4 Adobe PDF None
(Instructions at Topic Level)
Acquisition Security Review (ASR)
Questionnaire –
Attachment 6 Adobe PDF None
Lists Contractor and Subcontractor
information
(Instructions at Topic Level)
Facility Clearance Level (FCL)
Attachment 7 Adobe PDF None
(Instructions at Topic Level)
Personnel Security Clearance Level
Attachment 8 (PCL) Adobe PDF None
(Instructions at Topic Level)
FILE NAMING CONVENTION
Applicants shall submit each proposal volume and attachment as a separate file in accordance
with (IAW) the structure laid out above.
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BIGST BAA - Appendix 05
Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
These files shall be attached to Field 8 of the SF-424 (R & R) - Other Project Information
Form.
Files shall be labeled by the following naming convention (Short Version of Applicant Name +
Topic Number + Volume or Attachment Number):
Applicant Name_T#_Vol #
Applicant Name_T#_Att #
Volume 1 -Technical/Management
The detailed proposal portion of Volume 1, including any appendices, tables, or figures, shall be
no greater than twenty (20) pages in length, unless otherwise specified within the topic call
instructions. Reviewers will not review any pages beyond the 20-page limit. The information
required within this volume is listed within the proposal template.
Volume 4 - SECURITY
Research and Technology Protection
Common Disclosure Forms (applicable to Fundamental Research)
Awards which cover fundamental research (see definition in Appendix 6) funded by the
Department of Defense (DoD), regardless of award instrument or type of proposing entity, are
required to submit certified Common Disclosure Forms for each covered individual (see
Appendix 6 for definition) in accordance with “Countering Unwanted Foreign Influence in
Department-Funded Research at Institutions of Higher Education”, dated 29 June 2023.
The Common Disclosure Forms shall be submitted with the Applicant’s proposal.
The Common Disclosure Forms shall only be submitted upon NGA’s request after proposal
selection.
Applicants will not submit them with their initial proposal package. Instead, NGA will first
complete the scientific review process and select the proposals that will be funded.
NGA will request these forms from Applicants whose proposals were selected for funding; the
‘Research and Technology Protection’ attachment provides the link to the two Common
Disclosure Forms. (Separate File posted with this BAA General solicitation on SAM.gov and
Grants.gov.)
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
(3) Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) –
Mandatory
To evaluate compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. § 1681
et.seq.), the Department of Defense (DoD) is collecting certain demographic and career
information to assess the success rates of women who are proposed for key roles in applications
in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In addition, the National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2019, Section 1286, directs the Secretary of Defense
to protect intellectual property, controlled information, key personnel, and information about
critical technologies relevant to national security and limit undue influence, including foreign
talent programs by countries that desire to exploit United States’ technology within the DoD
research, science and technology, and innovation enterprise.
The Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form, available on the
Grants.gov website, will be used to collect the above data, and the following information for all
senior/key personnel, including Project Director/Principal Investigator and Co-Project
Director/Co-Principal Investigator, whether or not the individuals' efforts under the project are to
be funded by the DoD:
• Degree Type and Degree Year fields as the source for career information.
• A list of all current projects the individual is working on, in addition to any future
support the individual has applied to receive, regardless of the source.
• Title and objectives of the other research projects.
• The percentage per year to be devoted to the other projects.
• The total amount of support the individual is receiving in connection to each of the
other research projects, or will receive if other proposals are awarded.
• Name and address of the agencies and/or other parties supporting the other research
projects.
• Period of performance for the other research projects.
Additional senior/key persons can be added by selecting the “Next Person” button at the bottom
of the form. Note that, although applications without this information completed may pass
Grants.gov edit checks, if NGA receives an application without the required information, NGA
may determine that the application is incomplete and may cause your submission to be rejected
and eliminated from further review and consideration under the BAA. NGA reserves the right to
request further details from the applicant before making a final determination on funding the
effort.
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
The research team resumes should be attached to the R&R Senior/Key Person (Expanded) form
under the “biographical sketch” section.
The offeror shall provide a resume/CV of no more than two pages for each of the key researchers
who plan to contribute to the project, regardless of whether they will charge time to the project.
Each resume should contain at least the following information:
Qualifications. Provide typical curriculum vitae information.
Relevant Accomplishments. Provide a summary of accomplishments (“track record”) in the
same research topic area, or a closely related area, as the proposed research.
(4) Research & Related Personal Data – Mandatory
This form will be used by DoD as the source of demographic information, such as gender, race,
ethnicity, and disability information for the Project Director/Principal Investigator and all other
persons identified as Co-Project Director(s)/Co-Principal Investigator(s). Each application must
include this form with the name fields of the Project Director/Principal Investigator and any Co-
Project Director(s)/Co-Principal Investigator(s) completed; however, provision of the
demographic information in the form is voluntary. If completing the form for multiple
individuals, each Co-Project Director/Co-Principal Investigator can be added by selecting the
“Next Person” button. The demographic information, if provided, will be used for statistical
purposes only and will not be made available to merit reviewers. Applicants who do not wish to
provide some or all of the information should check or select the “Do not wish to provide”
option.
(5) Research & Related Budget - Mandatory
Research and Related Budget shall include all financial aspects of the proposed research.
There is no page limit for the Research Costs (Itemized Budget) section of the proposal. Cost
estimates should include sufficient detail for meaningful evaluation, including cost details for
proposed sub-awards. For proposal purposes, the offeror should propose a start date. The cost
proposal must include the total cost of the project as well as a breakdown of the amount(s) by
source(s) of funding, e.g., funds requested from NGA, other Government funding, and
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
institutional funds to be provided as cost sharing. Costs should be broken down for each year of
the program and shown by cost element for each year. Cost elements, total costs for each year of
the base period and each cost element, and totals for each proposed optional follow-on year, if
any, shall be provided.
Costs for entertainment, amusement, diversion and social activities and any costs directly
associated with such activities are unallowable in accordance with OMB 2 CFR Part 220
(formerly Circular A-21). NGA will not provide funding for direct reimbursement of proposal
development costs.
The annual budget should be driven by program requirements, and the funding breakdown shall
correspond to the proposed research plan that was provided as part of the Research and Related
Other Project Information Form. This section shall include statements as to the basis of estimate
for all proposed costs. Cost elements should include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Direct labor. Individual labor categories or persons, with associated labor hours and
unburdened direct labor rates. Provide escalation rates for out years. Include all personnel
who will charge time to the project (i.e., the Principal Investigator, other faculty,
institutional staff, graduate and undergraduate students) as well as their commensurate
salaries and benefits. Applicants shall provide supporting documents in PDF for the
current salaries of key personnel and authorization of student salaries. Salaries of
administrative and clerical staff are normally indirect costs included in indirect cost rates,
but direct charging of these costs may be appropriate when a major project requires
administrative or clerical support significantly greater than normal, routine levels of
support. Budgets proposing direct charging of administrative or clerical salaries must be
supported by budget justifications that adequately describe the major projects, and the
administrative and/or clerical work to be performed.
2. Equipment. Equipment is normally furnished by the Recipient. Allowable equipment
will ordinarily be limited to specialized equipment that is not already available for the
conduct of the work. If acquisition of equipment is proposed, a justification for the
purchase of the items must be provided, and the costs of equipment must be broken down
in sufficient detail for evaluation. Provide an itemized list of all equipment costs and the
basis for the estimate. Supporting documentation (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog
price lists) shall be provided to assist the Government during evaluations. Applicants
shall provide supporting documents in PDF for cumulative proposed equipment cost
above $5,000. General purpose equipment (i.e., equipment not used exclusively for
research, scientific or other technical activities, such as personal computers, office
equipment and furnishings) is not eligible for support and should not be requested, unless
it will be used primarily or exclusively for the project. For computer/laptop purchases and
other general-purpose equipment, if proposed, include a statement indicating how each
item of equipment will be integrated into the program, or used as an integral part of the
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
research effort. Equipment costs should be budgeted primarily during the first year.
3. Travel. The proposed travel cost should include the following for each trip: the purpose
of the trip, origin and destination if known, approximate duration, and the number of
travelers. The estimated cost per trip must be justified, based on the organization’s
historical average cost per trip or another reasonable basis. Such estimates and the
resultant costs claimed must comply with the applicable federal cost principles.
4. Other direct costs. Provide an itemized list of all other proposed other direct costs, such
as Graduate Assistant tuition; materials and supplies; publication, documentation and
dissemination costs; computer services; and communication costs not included in
overhead; and provide the basis for the estimate. Supporting documentation (e.g., quotes,
prior purchases, catalog price lists) shall be provided to assist the Government during
evaluations. For consultant services, provide a breakdown of the consultant's hours, the
hourly rate proposed, any other proposed consultant costs, a copy of the signed
Consulting Agreement or other documentation supporting the proposed consultant
rate/cost, and a copy of the consultant's proposed statement of work if it is not already
separately identified in the prime contractor's proposal.
5. Sub-awards. Provide a description of the work to be performed by the sub-recipients.
For each sub-award, a detailed cost proposal is required to be included in the principal
investigator's cost proposal. Fee/profit is unallowable. (SF-424 (R & R) Sub-award
Budget Attachment(s), included as an optional form in the application package template,
shall be completed if sub-awards are included in the proposal.)
6. Fringe benefits and indirect costs (i.e., Facilities and Administrative Costs,
Overhead, G&A). The proposal should show the rates and calculation of the costs for
each rate category. If the rates have been approved or negotiated by a Government
agency, provide a PDF copy of the memorandum/agreement. If the rates have not been
approved or negotiated, provide sufficient detail to determine whether the costs are
allowable, allocated to the proper cost pool, and reasonable based on their allocation.
Also include documentation describing how the rates were calculated. Additional
information may be requested, if needed. If composite rates are used, provide the
calculations (in excel) used in deriving the composite rates.
7. Fee/Profit. Fee/profit is unallowable.
(6) Form SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)
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BIGST BAA - Appendix 05
Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
If an Applicant has lobbying activities to disclose per 31 U.S. Code § 1352, they shall complete
Form SF-LLL, included as an optional form in the application package, and submit it along with
the other Grants.gov application forms, as an attachment to block 18 to the SF 424 (R&R) form.
Grant awards greater than $100,000.00 require a certification of compliance with a national
policy mandate concerning lobbying. Statutes and Government-wide regulations require the
certification to be submitted prior to award. When submitting your grant proposal through
Grants.gov, by completing Form SF-LLL and attaching it to blocks 18 of the SF 424 (R&R)
form, the grant applicant is providing the certification on lobbying required by 32 CFR Part 28;
otherwise a copy signed by the AOR shall be provided. Below is the required certification:
32 CFR Appendix A to Part 28 – Certification Regarding Lobbying: Certification for Contracts,
Grants, Loans, and Cooperative Agreements. The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her
knowledge and belief, that:
(1) No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of
the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an
officer or employee of an agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or
employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection
with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the
making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and
the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any
Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.
(2) If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid
to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee
of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or
an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract,
grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and
submit SF-LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its
instructions.
(3) The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included
in the award documents for all sub-awards at all tiers (including subcontracts,
sub-grants, and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and
that all sub-recipients shall certify and disclose accordingly.
This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this
transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for
making or entering into this transaction imposed by 31 U.S. Code § 1352. Any person who fails
to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000.00 and
not more than $100,000.00 for each such failure.
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Grants & Cooperative Agreements
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
In accordance with Continuing Appropriations Act, 2017 (Pub. L. 114-223), or any other Act
that extends the same prohibitions as contained in section 743, division E, title VII, of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Pub. L. 114-113), none of the funds appropriated or
otherwise made available by that or any other Act may be made available for a grant or
cooperative agreement with an entity that requires its employees or contractors seeking to report
fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or
otherwise restricting those employees or contractors from lawfully reporting that waste, fraud, or
abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or
agency authorized to receive the information.
4.5.2.5 Intellectual Property
Intellectual property and data rights for concepts, research findings and developed products
under this Broad Agency Announcement will vary due to topic, security protection requirements,
and final negotiated contract vehicle type. Applicants should note that the Government will not
own the intellectual property, including technical data/computer software, developed under this
BAA. Instead, NGA, as a DoD Component, does reserve a royalty-free, nonexclusive and
irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal purposes, and to
authorize others to do so as well. In addition, as allowed by 35 U.S. Code 202, NGA may
determine that it is best to restrict or eliminate the right to retain title on any subject
invention funded under this BAA to protect the security of such activities due to U.S. export
control laws, Government furnished information, or security classification.
For Grants and Cooperative Agreements, the intent is to fund fundamental research or develop
products for the public good and as such, the Government does not seek unlimited rights or an
exclusive license for this research except for restrictions above.
Appendix 05 - Page 14 of 14
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BIGST_BAA_HM047623BAA00001_GeneralSolicitation_REV3_20250425

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National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
Boosting Innovative GEOINT - Science & Technology
Broad Agency Announcement
(BIG-ST BAA)
General Solicitation
HM0476-23-BAA-0001 (Revision 3)
Version: 04/25/2025
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Change History
*Changes are highlighted in yellow throughout the document.
Date Section Description
4/25/2025 General Updated the General Solicitation to provide additional
Solicitation clarifications.
Section 4.3 Moved the “Classified IC-ARC Sign Up Instructions” from
Section 4.5.8.3 to Section 4.3
Section 6.2 Removed embedded document titled “NGAI 8400.4.pdf” and
posted it as a separate file on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and
Classified IC-ARC.
Appendix 1 Removed embedded document titled “APPENDIX 1 Abstract
Template.docx” and posted it as a separate file on SAM.gov,
Grants.gov, and Classified IC-ARC.
Appendix 2 Removed embedded document titled “APPENDIX 2
Proposal Template.docx” and posted it as a separate file on
SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and Classified IC-ARC.
Appendix 5 Removed embedded document “APPENDIX 5 Grants
Coops.docx” and posted it as a separate file on SAM.gov,
Grants.gov, and Classified IC-ARC.
Appendix 6 Corrected the title description for the “Contract Deliverable
Requirements List” to “Contract Data Requirements List”
04/02/2025 General In accordance with FAR Part 35. Replaced the term
Solicitation “Offerors” with “Offerors” throughout the document
Sub-section Updated language under the Analysis of Proposed Resources
5.2.3
Section 6.1 Updated the Invoicing and Payments instructions and
numbering format
Section 6.2 Updated the Information Technology Section 508 Language
BIG-ST BAA In accordance with Class Deviation - Restoring Merit-Based
Provisions and Opportunity in Federal Contracts (DARS 2025-O0003).
Clauses Removed Clause 52.222-21 Prohibition of segregated
facilities (APR 2015) and Clause 52.222-26 Equal
Opportunity (SEP 2016). (Separate File posted with this
BAA General Solicitation). Added Clause 5X52.232-9003
Usage of Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) (FEB 2025).
6.3 Travel Added Section 6.3 Travel
6.4 Added Section 6.4 Government Furnished
GFP/CAP/GFI Property/Contractor Acquired Property, Government
Furnished Information
12/20/2024 Section 2.1 Update in reference to covered TRL levels
Section 2.3 Award types updated
Section 3.1.2 Added OT eligibility section
Section 4.3 Updated based on FAR 52.204-7 update through interim rule
[FR Doc. 2024-26062] Filed 11-8-24
HM047623BAA0001 BIGST BAA – Rev3 1
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Section 4.5.3 Updated table in reference to removal of one attachment and
re-numbering of FCL and PCL attachment
Section 4.5.6 Added clarifying information
Section 4.5.8.1 Renamed to ‘Research and Technology Protection’
Section Added Section 4.5.8.1.1 Program Protection Implementation
4.5.8.1.1 Plan (PPIP).
Section Added Section 4.5.8.1.2 Common Disclosure Forms
4.5.8.1.2 (applicable to Fundamental Research)
Section 5.2.5.2 Changed title to Program Protection Implementation Plan
(PPIP) Review along with associated requirements
Section 5.2.5.3 Added Section 5.2.5.3 Common Disclosure Forms Review
Section 5.2.6 Removed information for clarification purposes
Appendix 2 Updated in reference to renumbering of PCL and FCL
Attachment and removal of PSPP attachment
PSPP Former attachment 7 PSPP was removed
attachment to
Appendix 2
Attachment 7 to Attachment 7 is now the FCL
Appendix 2
Attachment 8 to Attachment 8 is now the PCL
Appendix 2
Appendix 3 Updated to include Research OT
Appendix 4 Updated references to most recent DoDGARs and OT
regulations & guides
Appendix 5 Updated (see Appendix 5 file)
Appendix 6 Definitions were updated for ‘Confucius Institute’, ‘Foreign
National’, ‘Fundamental Research’, ‘Institution of Higher
Education’, ‘Proposing Institution’ and ‘Research Institution’
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Table of Contents
1. Overview Information ................................................................................................................... 4
2. Full Text Announcement .............................................................................................................. 5
2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Technical Domains of Interest .................................................................................................. 8
2.3 Award Information .................................................................................................................. 10
2.4 Follow-on work resulting from prototype Other Transactions (OT): ..................................... 11
3. Eligibility Information ................................................................................................................ 11
3.1 Eligible Applicants .................................................................................................................. 11
3.2 Foreign Participation ............................................................................................................... 12
3.3 Cost Sharing/Matching ........................................................................................................... 12
4. Abstract and Proposal Submission Information .......................................................................... 13
4.1 Solicitation Application Package ............................................................................................ 13
4.2 Content and Form of Application Submission ........................................................................ 14
4.3 Application Process Overview ................................................................................................ 14
4.4 Abstract Preparation and Submission Information ................................................................. 15
4.5 Proposal Preparation and Submission Information ................................................................. 17
5. Abstract and Proposal Review Information ................................................................................ 27
5.1 Abstract Review Criteria & Process ....................................................................................... 27
5.2 Proposal Review Process ........................................................................................................ 27
5.3 Selection Notices..................................................................................................................... 35
5.4 Handling of Source Selection Information ............................................................................. 35
6. Award Administration Information ............................................................................................ 35
6.1 Invoicing and Payments .......................................................................................................... 35
6.2 Information Technology ......................................................................................................... 36
6.3 Travel ...................................................................................................................................... 38
6.4 Government Furnished Property/Contractor Acquired Property, Government Furnished
Information ...................................................................................................................................... 39
Appendix 1 – Abstract Template ......................................................................................................... 40
Appendix 2 – Proposal Template ......................................................................................................... 41
Appendix 3 – Award Types & Instruments.......................................................................................... 42
Appendix 4 – Governance Information ................................................................................................ 46
Appendix 5 – Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions48
Appendix 6 - Definitions ...................................................................................................................... 49
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1. Overview Information
Federal Agency Name National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
Boosting Innovative GEOINT - Science and Technology Broad Agency
BAA Title
Announcement (BIG-ST BAA).
BAA Number HM047623BAA0001
Publication Dates December 15, 2023 – December 14, 2026
Announcement Type General Solicitation
‘Other Competitive Procedure’ as described in Federal Acquisition
Competition Type Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016, as well as 2 CFR § 200.203 and
10 USC § 2358.
BAA with Topic Calls
The BIG-ST BAA is a general announcement of NGA’s research interest,
including criteria for selecting proposals and soliciting the participation of
all Offerors capable of satisfying the Government’s needs.
BAA Process
The requests for abstracts and/or proposals are transmitted via Topic Calls
that are published separately under the BIG-ST BAA general solicitation at
various times during the open period of the general solicitation. The Topic
Calls will further define the technology/government needs or just request
abstracts or full proposals.
Topic Calls will be published via updates of the BIG-ST BAA General
Solicitation site on SAM.gov and Grants.gov.
Topic Call Publication
Interested parties should periodically check these websites for updates.
North American Industry
541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life
Classification System
Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
(NAICS)
Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance 12.630 Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Technology
(CFDA) Number(s)
Procurement Contracts, Grants, Cooperative Agreements, or Other
Transactions (OTs) for prototypes and follow-on production.
Award Types
Any resultant negotiations and/or awards will follow all laws and
regulations applicable to the specific award instrument(s) available under
this BAA.
Agency Contacts BIGSTBAA@nga.mil
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2. Full Text Announcement
2.1 Introduction
The mission of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Research Directorate is
to deliver future Geospatial-Intelligence (GEOINT) capabilities to users for operational
impact. NGA Research supports the National Security Strategy by solving hard defense and
intelligence problems for the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense.
In support of this mission, NGA Research promotes research initiatives across a broad spectrum
of science and engineering disciplines, and transforms these initiatives into disruptive GEOINT
capabilities in support of U.S. national security. The Boosting Innovative GEOINT-Science and
Technology (BIG-ST) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) invites Offerors to submit
innovative concepts to address hard GEOINT problems that align to one or more of the
following technical domains: (1) Foundational GEOINT, (2) Advanced Phenomenologies, and
(3) Analytic Technologies. Each of these domains is described below and includes a list of
example research topics that highlight several (but not all) potential areas of interest. Throughout
the open period of this BAA, posted Topic Calls will specify areas associated with these
technical domains.
Each posted Topic Call will provide specific timelines for abstract and proposal submission.
Offerors are responsible for maintaining awareness of these Topic Calls and associated timelines
for submissions. No submissions shall be accepted to the general solicitation; abstracts and
proposals will only be reviewed in response to Topic Calls.
In accordance with (IAW) DFARS 235.016, the scope of this BAA is limited to research
and development of concepts and technologies that fall within Research, Development,
Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) Budget Activities 6.1 to 6.4 and Technology Readiness
Levels (TRL) 1-7. (See definitions on the following pages.)
Topics under this BAA may further specify proposed solutions to a subset of budget activities
and expected TRLs.
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# Budget Description
Activity
See Department of Defense (DoD) 7000.14-R Vol. 2B Chapter 5 Section 1.5 for more
information:
https://comptroller.defense.gov/portals/45/documents/fmr/current/02b/02b_05.pdf
6.1 Basic The systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of
Research the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without
specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all
scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental
knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering,
environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs. It
is farsighted high payoff research that provides the basis for technological
progress.
6.2 Applied The systematic study to understand the means to meet a recognized and
Research specific need. It is a systematic expansion and application of knowledge to
develop useful materials, devices, and systems or methods. It may be oriented,
ultimately, toward the design, development, and improvement of prototypes
and new processes to meet general mission area requirements. Applied
research may translate promising basic research into solutions for broadly
defined military needs, short of system development. This type of effort may
vary from systematic mission-directed research beyond that in Budget Activity
1 to sophisticated breadboard hardware, study, programming and planning
efforts that establish the initial feasibility and practicality of proposed
solutions to technological challenges. It includes studies, investigations, and
non-system specific technology efforts. The dominant characteristic is that
applied research is directed toward general military needs with a view toward
developing and evaluating the feasibility and practicality of proposed solutions
and determining their parameters. Applied Research precedes system specific
technology investigations or development. Program control of the Applied
Research program element is normally exercised by general level of effort.
6.3 Advanced The development of subsystems and components and efforts to integrate
Technology subsystems and components into system prototypes for field experiments
Development and/or tests in a simulated environment. Budget Activity 3 includes concept
and technology demonstrations of components and subsystems or system
models. The models may be form, fit, and function prototypes or scaled
models that serve the same demonstration purpose. The results of this type of
effort are proof of technological feasibility and assessment of subsystem and
component operability and producibility rather than the development of
hardware for service use. Projects in this category have a direct relevance to
identified military needs. Advanced Technology Development demonstrates
the general military utility or cost reduction potential of technology when
applied to different types of military equipment or techniques.
6.4 Advanced The efforts necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative
Component modes, or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating
Development environment are funded in this budget activity. The ACD&P phase includes
and system specific efforts that help expedite technology transition from the
Prototypes laboratory to operational use. Emphasis is on proving component and
subsystem maturity prior to integration in major and complex systems and may
involve risk reduction initiatives.
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Technology Readiness Level – Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) are a method used to
measure and assess the maturity of a particular technology. TRL is based on a scale from 1 to 9
with 9 being the most mature technology. The use of TRLs enables consistent and uniform
discussions of technical maturity across different types of technologies. Decision authorities will
consider the recommended TRLs when assessing program risk. The below table lists the TRL
levels allowed under this BAA:
TRL Definition Description
1 Basic principles observed Lowest level of technology readiness. Scientific research
and reported. begins to be translated into applied research and
development. Examples might include paper studies of a
technology’s basic properties.
2 Technology concept Invention begins. Once basic principles are observed,
and/or application practical applications can be invented. Applications are
formulated. speculative and there may be no proof or detailed analysis
to support the assumptions. Examples are limited to
analytic studies.
3 Analytical and Active research and development is initiated. This includes
experimental critical analytical studies and laboratory studies to physically
function and/or validate analytical predictions of separate elements of the
characteristic proof of technology. Examples include components that are not yet
concept. integrated or representative.
4 Component and/or Basic technological components are integrated to establish
breadboard validation in that they will work together. This is relatively “low
laboratory environment. fidelity” compared to the eventual system. Examples
include the integration of “ad hoc” hardware in the
laboratory.
5 Component and/or The Fidelity of breadboard technology increases
breadboard validation in significantly. The basic technological components are
relevant environment. integrated with reasonably realistic supporting elements so
it can be tested in a simulated environment.
6 System/subsystem model A representative model or prototype system, which is well
or prototype demonstration beyond that of TRL 5, is tested in a relevant environment.
in a relevant environment. Represents a major step up in a technology’s demonstrated
readiness.
7 System prototype Prototype near, or at, planned operational system.
demonstration in an Represents a major step up from TRL 6, requiring
operational environment. demonstration of an actual system prototype in an
operational environment such as an aircraft, vehicle, or
space.
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2.2 Technical Domains of Interest
FOUNDATIONAL GEOINT
The Foundational GEOINT portion of the Research portfolio
focuses on the creation of always accurate, high-resolution,
continually updated representations of the earth’s properties,
available on demand.
Topics of interest in this domain include, but are not limited to,
innovations advancing the GEOINT physical sciences in the
areas of:
(1) terrestrial/celestial reference frames;
(2) earth gravitational models;
(3) world magnetic models;
(4) assured positioning, navigation and timing, and resilience;
(5) geopositioning;
(6) feature extraction, attribution, classification and modeling;
(7) infrastructure models;
(8) human geography and environmental models;
(9) bathymetric/topological models; and
(10) maritime environmental mapping.
ADVANCED PHENOMENOLOGIES
The Advanced Phenomenologies portion of the Research portfolio employs novel methods and
efficient strategies to drive development and delivery of improved spatially, spectrally,
radiometrically, polarimetrically, and temporally resolved data from a growing number of
traditional and non-traditional sources.
Topics of interest in this domain include, but are not limited to, innovations advancing the design
and development of algorithms, components, and enabling technologies for systems in the areas
of:
(1) detection, tracking, and identification of the most challenging targets in complex
environments;
(2) sensing and real-time processing of both static and dynamic targets;
(3) novel source exploitation and optimization:
(4) collection technologies to optimize use of phenomenology sources;
(5) space situational awareness;
(6) information assurance, data integrity and quality validation;
(7) error propagation modeling; and
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(8) multi-domain data aggregation.
ANALYTIC TECHNOLOGIES
The Analytic Technologies portion of the Research portfolio enhances the definition and utility
of GEOINT by leveraging new sources of data and developing novel analytic techniques to
deliver a geospatial dimension to multi-INT analytics, in particular to address emerging threats
and mission domains. New data sources drive use of these technologies to provide accurate,
timely, reliable, and scalable methods for data exploitation, integration, and analysis.
Topics of interest in this domain include, but are not limited to, innovations in advanced
processing techniques and enabling technologies for:
(1) geospatial signatures detection, analysis, and tracking;
(2) derivation of GEOINT from non-traditional data in cyberspace;
(3) stand-off detection of counter proliferation and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear
and explosive activities;
(4) water security;
(5) image/video understanding and computer vision;
(6) image and product standards development and enhancement;
(7) automated target recognition;
(8) temporal and activity modeling and contextualization;
(9) event forecasting and prediction;
(10) knowledge and ontology modeling;
(11) artificial intelligence, to include novel learning techniques;
(12) automation, to include software tools;
(13) natural language processing;
(14) social media analytics;
(15) location-based insights;
(16) workflow effectiveness and analyst workflow modernization;
(17) human-machine interaction;
(18) tools that provide better human understanding of automated solutions;
(19) tools to guide algorithm and automation governance; and
(20) immersive GEOINT visualization tools.
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2.3 Award Information
The NGA’s Office of Contract Services (OCS) - Research Division (OCSR) has the authority to
award a variety of instruments on behalf of NGA. Anticipated awards under this BAA may take
the form of procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions (OTs)
for prototypes and follow-on production.
The NGA OCSR Division reserves the right to award the type of instrument most appropriate for
the effort proposed. Offerors should familiarize themselves with these instrument types and the
applicable regulations before submitting an abstract or proposal. In all cases, the Government
contracting officer (CO) shall have sole discretion to select the award instrument type, regardless
of instrument type proposed, and to negotiate all instrument terms and conditions with selectees.
NGA anticipates multiple awards which will be subject to the availability of funds. Awards will
be made to Offerors whose proposals are determined to be the most advantageous to the
Government.
The Government reserves the right to:
• Select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response to
specific Topic Calls;
• Make awards without discussions with Offerors;
• Conduct discussions with Offerors if the Government determines they are necessary;
• Divide awards into base and option periods;
• Not execute one or more option periods, if an award is divided into a base and option
periods;
• Accept proposals in their entirety or to select only portions of proposals for award;
• Fund awards in increments;
• Request additional documentation once the award instrument has been determined (e.g.,
representations and certifications); and
• Remove Offerors from award consideration should the Offeror and the Government fail
to reach agreement on award terms within a reasonable time, or if the Offeror fails to
provide requested additional information in a timely manner.
The following is a list of possible award types and award instruments to help inform your
organization in determining which award type and instrument may be the most appropriate.
Proposed award type and instrument are subject to negotiation based on details of each Topic
and the proposed approach. The allowable award instruments and their allowable award types
are as follows (and are further defined in Appendix 3):
Procurement Contracts Other Transactions Grants & Cooperative Agreements
• Fixed Price • Fixed Price • Cost (No Fee)
• Fixed Price Level of Effort • Time and Materials
• Time and Materials • Labor Hour
• Labor Hour • Cost Plus Fixed Fee
• Cost Plus Fixed Fee • Cost (No Fee)
• Cost (No Fee)
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2.4 Follow-on work resulting from prototype Other Transactions (OT):
In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 4022, NGA may award a follow-on production contract or OT for
any OT awarded under this BAA if: (1) the participant(s) in the OT successfully completed the
entire prototype project provided for in that OT, as modified; and (2) the OT provides for the
award of a follow-on production contract or OT to the participant(s).
3. Eligibility Information
3.1 Eligible Applicants
All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal for
NGA’s consideration.
Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and
Government Entities
NGA will consider FFRDC and Government Entity eligibility submissions on a case-by-case
basis; however, the burden to prove eligibility for all team members rests solely with the Offeror.
Sufficient information shall be provided at the time of proposal submission; NGA will not
evaluate eligibility outside of any proposal submissions. Currently, NGA does not consider 15
U.S.C. § 3710a to be sufficient legal authority to show eligibility. While 10 U.S.C.§ 4992 may
be the appropriate statutory starting point for some entities, specific supporting regulatory
guidance, together with evidence of agency approval, will still be required to fully establish
eligibility.
3.1.1.1 FFRDCs
FFRDCs are subject to applicable direct competition limitations and cannot propose to this BAA
in any capacity unless they meet the following conditions: (1) FFRDCs must clearly demonstrate
that the proposed work is not otherwise available from the private sector; (2) FFRDCs must
provide a letter, on official letterhead from their sponsoring organization, that (a) cites the
specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose to Government solicitations and
compete with industry, and (b) certifies the FFRDC’s compliance with the associated FFRDC
sponsor agreement’s terms and conditions; and (3) the FFRDC discloses any current work being
performed within NGA Research or NGA that is similar in scope to this work. The CO will
determine if Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI) exists. These conditions are a
requirement for FFRDCs proposing to be awardees or sub-awardees.
3.1.1.2 Government Entities
Government Entities (e.g., Government/National laboratories, University Affiliated Research
Centers (UARCs), military educational institutions, etc.) are subject to applicable direct
competition limitations. Government entities must clearly demonstrate that the work is not
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otherwise available from the private sector, and provide written documentation citing the
specific statutory authority and contractual authority, if relevant, establishing their ability to
propose to Government solicitations and compete with industry. This information is required for
Government Entities proposing to be awardees or sub-awardees.
Other Transaction Agreements (OTA) Eligibility Requirements
Consistent with 10. U.S.C. §4021, Research OTs have a resource-sharing requirement, intended
to highlight dual use focus of the technology R&D of this authority, and show commitment on
the performing team to pursue and/or commercialize technology in the future; the default starting
resource sharing position will be 50%/50%.
Consistent with 10 U.S.C. § 4022, the awardee for a prototype OT must meet at least one of the
following requirements:
(A) There is at least one nontraditional defense contractor (see definition in Appendix 6)
or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent in the prototype
project.
(B) All significant participants in the transaction other than the Federal Government are
small businesses (including small businesses participating in a program described under
section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. § 638)) or nontraditional defense
contractors.
(C) At least one third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds
provided by sources other than the Federal Government.
3.2 Foreign Participation
Each Topic will specify whether non-U.S. organizations and/or individuals may participate and
any specific controls or security regulations that apply. If allowable under the Topic, any and all
forms of foreign participation must be clearly and fully disclosed within the proposal. For
controlled unclassified information (CUI) and classified submissions, this includes disclosing
and mitigating any Foreign Ownership Control and Influence (FOCI) issues prior to transmitting
the submission to NGA. Additional information on FOCI can be found at
https://www.dcsa.mil/mc/isd/foci/.
3.3 Cost Sharing/Matching
Cost sharing is not required; however, it will be carefully considered where there is an applicable
statutory condition relating to the selected funding instrument (e.g., OTs under the authority of
10 U.S.C. § 4022).
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OTs for prototypes require cost sharing unless at least one nontraditional defense contractor is
significantly involved, or all significant participants in the transaction are small businesses or
nontraditional defense contractors. If the proposing team is not composed of the required entities
listed above, it is required to provide at least one-third (1/3) cost share from their own funds,
unless a case can be made for a waiver. Waivers are not common and will require significant
justification.
Notwithstanding these requirements, cost sharing is encouraged where there is a reasonable
probability of a potential commercial application related to the proposed research and
development (R&D) effort. Any cost sharing arrangement should be noted in the abstract and
detailed in the final cost proposal.
4. Abstract and Proposal Submission Information
Offerors are reminded that submission deadlines as outlined in the separate Topic Calls are in
Eastern Time and will be strictly enforced.
When planning a response to each Topic Call (solicitation), Offerors should consider that some
parts of the submission process may take from one business day to one month to complete (e.g.,
registering for a TIN).
Revisions Amendments to General Solicitation and Topic Calls: If the General Solicitation or a
Topic Call is revised, all terms and conditions that are not revised remain unchanged. Offerors
shall acknowledge receipt of any revisions by the date and time specified in the Topic Call
revisions(s).
NGA will acknowledge receipt of complete submissions via email. If no confirmation is received
within two business days, please contact NGA at BIGSTBAA@nga.mil to verify receipt.
4.1 Solicitation Application Package
No request for proposal or additional solicitation regarding this announcement and subsequent
topic calls will be issued outside of publications to the SAM.gov website (https://www.sam.gov),
the Grants.gov website (https://www.grants.gov), and the Classified Intelligence Community
Acquisition Research Center (IC-ARC) (https://acq-ui.ace.proj.nro.ic.gov).
Topic Calls will be published as updates to the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation on SAM.gov
and Grants.gov. Topic Calls further define the technology/Government needs or request
submission to specific areas. Classified topics, if applicable, will only be posted to the Classified
IC-ARC, but a notice will be posted on SAM.gov and Grants.gov with instructions pointing to
the IC_ARC.
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4.2 Content and Form of Application Submission
Abstracts and proposals shall adhere to the instructions within this part (Part 4: Abstract and
Proposal Submission Information).
In general, Offerors are only allowed to submit one abstract and one proposal per Topic Call.
Exceptions will be outlined in specific Topic Calls.
Offerors who did not submit an abstract are ineligible to submit a proposal.
Completeness of Information
Offerors are responsible for including all necessary information in their proposal to merit award
under the solicitation criteria. Information that is not included within the proposal will not be
evaluated and may result in a proposal not conforming with the solicitation instructions and
deemed incomplete.
4.3 Application Process Overview
A. SAM Registration:
Register with System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov. Offerors will be
able to obtain their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) at https://www.sam.gov, which replaced the
Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number in April 2022.
Offerors are required to be registered in SAM when submitting a proposal and at time of award,
during performance, and at least until final payment of any contract resulting from this BAA.
B. ARC Registration:
Offerors must register on the Unclassified ARC to obtain an IC-ARC account to access
Classified Topic Calls. More information is available at the Unclassified ARC
(https:/acq.westfields.net).
Classified IC-ARC Sign Up Instructions: Offerors will first need to set up an account on the
Unclassified ARC at https://acq.westfields.net/ and provide a classified e-mail address. Offerors
will then get an e-mail at the classified address with login and password information to establish
a Classified IC-ARC account. The high side ARC website is: https://acq.nro.ic.gov. You shall
validate/activate your high side account within 24 hours of trying to login to the Classified IC-
ARC or it will be disabled. If it is disabled, you shall contact the ACE Helpdesk at secure 855-
4ACE or unclassified 703-230-6300. It may take up to 48 hours for a classified account to be
established.
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C. Abstract Submission:
It is mandatory that prospective Offerors submit abstracts prior to submission of a complete
proposal. The purpose of submitting an abstract is to minimize the labor and cost associated with
the production of a detailed proposal that has little chance of being selected for funding.
Feedback on an abstract will be provided to the Offeror regarding the concept’s scientific merit,
potential contributions to the NGA Research mission, and affordability considering available
funding. A favorable response to an Abstract is not a guarantee that a proposal based on the
abstract will ultimately be selected for award. If NGA does not recommend that Offeror submit a
full proposal, NGA will provide feedback to the Offeror regarding the rationale for this decision.
Regardless of NGA’s abstract feedback, Offerors may choose to submit a full proposal.
D. Proposal Submission:
All prospective Offerors who submitted an abstract are required to submit a proposal to be
considered for award. Interested parties who did not submit an abstract are ineligible for award.
Proposals must adhere to instructions contained within this solicitation and any instructions
provided in the specific topic call. Offerors who did not submit an abstract, are ineligible to
submit a proposal.
4.4 Abstract Preparation and Submission Information
Abstract Submission
An abstract of the proposed effort shall be submitted electronically, via email, to the email
specified in the Topic Call, unless otherwise indicated in the Topic Call.
E-mail Subject Line: “BIGST BAA Topic X Abstract (Company Name)”.
Please see Topic Call for specific timelines for abstract submission.
NGA will attempt to reply to abstracts within 30 calendar days. These official notifications will
be emailed to the Technical POC and/or Administrative POC identified on the abstract cover
sheet.
Abstract Format
Notwithstanding specific abstract format instructions provided in the topic calls, abstracts shall
be submitted in accordance with this announcement.
Offerors shall use the Abstract Template in Appendix 1.
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Offerors are prohibited from altering any of the settings in this template (i.e. font-type, font size,
line spacing, margins). Graphics/illustrations are allowed and are not subject to the format
restrictions. Tables are allowed but are subject to the format restrictions.
Section 1 – ‘Proposed Research’ is limited to 5 pages.
Offerors shall replace/delete all grey instructions within the template after completion of the
abstract.
Any abstract that does not utilize the required template at Appendix 1 will not be considered for
review.
Restrictive Markings on Abstracts
Records or data subject to restrictions on their use may be included in the abstract, but shall be
clearly marked. The Offeror shall clearly identify and mark any proprietary data that is intended
to be used by the Government only. The Offeror shall also identify any technical data or
computer software contained in the abstract that is being provided with restrictions on its use by
the Government. In the absence of such identification, the Government will assume to have
unlimited rights to all technical data or computer software contained in the abstract.
It is the intent of NGA to treat all abstracts as procurement sensitive information before the
award, and to disclose their contents only to Government employees or designated support
contractors for the purpose of procurement related activities only. Refer to BIG-ST BAA
Provisions and Clauses (Separate File posted with this BAA General solicitation), NGA
Acquisition Regulation Implementation (NARI) Clause 5X52.209-9004, Use of Contractor
Support, for specific information concerning NGA use of contractor support. Classified,
sensitive, or critical information on technologies should not be included in an abstract.
Offerors are cautioned that portions of an abstract may be subject to release under terms of the
Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, as amended.
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4.5 Proposal Preparation and Submission Information
The proposal is the only vehicle available to the Offeror for receiving consideration for award.
Offerors who do not submit an abstract are ineligible to submit a proposal.
Proposal Submission
The proposal shall be submitted electronically, via email, to the email specified in the Topic
Call, unless otherwise indicated in the Topic Call.
E-mail Subject Line: “BIGST BAA Topic X Full Proposal (Company Name)”.
All forms requiring signature shall be completed, printed, signed, and scanned into an Adobe
*.pdf document or electronically signed.
Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with this announcement and any instructions in the
individual Topic Call.
Proposal Preparation and Submission Information for Grants and Cooperative
Agreements
See Appendix 5 for detailed instructions on how to submit a proposal for a Grant or Cooperative
Agreement.
Offerors shall provide a courtesy copy of their complete Grants.gov submission to the email
specified in the Topic Call.
Sections 4.5.3 - 4.5.8 of this document do not apply to Grants and Cooperative Agreement
Proposals.
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Proposal Format
Offerors shall use the Proposal Template in Appendix 2, which consists of a BIG-ST BAA
proposal submission coversheet, table of contents, four proposal volumes, and eight (8)
attachments.
This template includes detailed instructions on required proposal volume information. Offerors
are prohibited from altering any of the settings in this template (i.e. font, font size, line spacing,
margins). Graphics/illustrations are allowed and are not subject to the format restrictions. Tables
are allowed but are subject to the format restrictions.
Any proposal that does not utilize the required template at Appendix 2 will not be reviewed
and will not be considered for award.
Reference Description Format Page limit
See template in Appendix 2
Cover Page PDF N/A
(Digital signature required)
Table of
See template in Appendix 2 PDF N/A
Contents
20 pages if not
specified in Topic
Bibliography:2 pages (not
incl. in page count)
Relevant Papers: max. 3
Volume 1 TECHNICAL/ MANAGEMENT Adobe PDF
papers on 10 pages total
(not incl. in page count)
Resumes: max. 2 resumes
with max. 3 pages each (one
shall be of PI; not incl. in
page count);
5 pages (in addition to 20-
page count of Vol 1)
Attachment 1 Statement of Work (SOW) Adobe PDF
Table of deliverables is not
incl. in page count
Volume 2 COST/PRICE Adobe PDF None
Attachment 2 Cost/Price Breakout Excel None
ADMINISTRATIVE &
Volume 3 NATIONAL POLICY Adobe PDF None
REQUIREMENTS
Attachment 3 Subcontracting Plan Adobe PDF None
Data Rights Assertion Table
Attachment 4 Adobe PDF None
(Digital signature required)
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Organizational Conflict of Interest
Attachment 5 (OCI) Form Adobe PDF None
(Digital signature required)
SECURITY
Volume 4 Adobe PDF None
(Instructions at Topic Level)
Acquisition Security Review (ASR)
Questionnaire –
Attachment 6 Adobe PDF None
Lists Contractor and Subcontractor
information
(Instructions at Topic Level)
Facility Clearance Level (FCL)
Attachment 7 Adobe PDF None
(Instructions at Topic Level)
Personnel Security Clearance Level
Attachment 8 (PCL) Adobe PDF None
(Instructions at Topic Level)
FILE NAMING CONVENTION
Offerors shall submit each proposal volume and attachment as a separate file in accordance with
(IAW) the structure laid out above.
Files shall be labeled by the following naming convention (Short Version of Offeror Name +
Topic Number + Volume or Attachment Number):
Offeror Name_T#_Vol #
Offeror Name_T#_Att #
Proposal Content
The proposal shall stand on its own merit. Only information provided in the proposal will be
used in the evaluation process leading to an award. The proposal should provide straightforward
and concise descriptions of proposed work.
Do not use acronyms or abbreviations without defining acronyms and abbreviations at the
first use; place the abbreviation in parenthesis immediately following the phrase. This
provides the definition for each subsequent reuse.
The proposal shall be signed by the official authorized to commit the organization to the terms of
any resulting award. If the electronic version of the proposal does not include a signature from
the appropriate official, the Government Contracting Officer may determine the proposal to be
non-conforming.
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Volume 1 -Technical/Management
The detailed proposal portion of Volume 1, including any appendices, tables, or figures, shall be
no greater than twenty (20) pages in length, unless otherwise specified within the topic call
instructions. Reviewers will not review any pages beyond the 20-page limit. The information
required within this volume is listed within the proposal template.
Offerors shall submit a Statement of Work as Attachment 1 to Volume 1, using the Proposal
Template in Appendix 2. The SOW is limited to five (5) pages (excluding table for
deliverables). Offerors are prohibited from altering any of the settings in this template (i.e. font,
font size, line spacing, margins). This document will become an attachment to the contract in the
event of an award. The SOW needs to stand on its own without making references to the
technical proposal. Do not include any proprietary information within the SOW.
Volume 2 – Cost/Price Narrative
The Cost/Price volume shall justify the need for and amount of major direct expense categories,
including (but not limited to) labor, equipment, and travel. The cost estimate for the proposed
effort shall sufficiently detail elements of cost and the need for these items to allow for
meaningful evaluation. The Cost/Price volume shall clearly and closely align with the planned
methodology presented in the Technical/Management Volume.
A cost estimate shall be detailed for each task of the proposed work.
Offerors shall submit a Cost/Price Breakout as Attachment 2 to Volume 2 using an MS Excel
spreadsheet.
Cost Type Contract (applicable to procurement contracts): All proposals may be subject to the
requirements of the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA). Prior to closing negotiations, a Certificate
of Current Cost/Price data will be required if proposed costs are over the TINA threshold and the
Contracting Officer deems it necessary in accordance with FAR 15.403-4.
Sub-contractor Cost Proposals:
Offerors shall include cost information for subcontracted work. Subcontractor cost proposals shall
contain the same type of information and level of detail as the Offeror’s cost proposal. All
subcontracted work shall be properly identified as such. If a subcontractor elects to submit an
abbreviated cost proposal to a Offeror, it is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure the submitted
subcontractor information is simultaneously submitted to the Government Contracting Officer as
part of their proposal. Offerors shall carry out responsibilities in accordance with FAR 15.404-3,
DFARS 215.404-3 and PGI 215.404-3.
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Volume 3 – Administrative and National Policy Requirements
4.5.7.1 Solicitation Provisions and Award Clauses, Terms and Conditions
Solicitation provisions relevant to procurement contracts are listed within the file 'BIG-ST BAA
Provisions and Clauses' (Separate File posted with this BAA General Solicitation).
‘BIG-ST BAA Provisions and Clauses’ and ‘NGA Addendum to DoD Research General Terms
and Conditions’ also list award clauses that, depending on their applicability, may be included in
the terms and conditions of awards resultant from NGA solicitations. This list is not exhaustive
and the clauses, terms and conditions included in a resultant award will depend on the nature of
the research effort, the specific award instrument, the type of awardee, and any applicable
security or publication restrictions.
The above information serves to inform potential Offerors and awardees of proposal
requirements and award terms and conditions to which they may have to adhere to.
4.5.7.1.1 Representations and Certifications
Representations and certifications shall be completed by successful applicants prior to award.
FAR Online Representations and Certifications are to be completed through SAM at
https://www.sam.gov.
As appropriate, DFARS and contract-specific certification packages as listed in BIG-ST BAA
Provisions and Clauses (Separate File posted with this BAA General Solicitation) shall be filled
out and submitted with the proposal.
4.5.7.1.2 Other Transaction Proposals
Terms and Conditions will be negotiated at the time of award.
4.5.7.2 Subcontracting Plan (Applicable to Procurement Contracts)
Pursuant to Section 8(d) of the Small Business Act [15 U.S.C. § 637(d)], it is the policy of the
Government to enable small business and small disadvantaged business (SDB) concerns to be
considered fairly as subcontractors.
All other than U.S. small businesses proposing contracts expected to exceed $750,000.00 (total
contract value including option periods) are required to submit a subcontracting plan IAW FAR
19.702(a), and shall do so with their proposal. A subcontracting plan is required regardless of
whether the prime contractor is proposing a subcontractor or not.
Per FAR 19.702, large businesses are required to provide small businesses ‘the maximum
practicable opportunity to participate in contract performance consistent with its efficient
performance.’ Large business proposals that exceed the above stated threshold are required to
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include the required subcontracting plan, explaining and justifying the proposed level of small
business participation.
The submission of a Master Subcontracting Plan (with individual subcontracting goals if
applicable), Commercial Plan or Comprehensive Subcontracting Test Program (CSP) Plan is
acceptable; a copy of the applicable plan shall be included with the proposal as Attachment 3.
Proposals failing to include a subcontracting plan (when required) will be deemed non-
conforming and will be removed from consideration for award. For further information on this
requirement, see FAR 19, specifically 19.702 and 19.704, and NARI 5X52.219-9002 –Small
Business Goal.
Subcontracting plans are determined to be acceptable or unacceptable based on the criteria
established at FAR 19.705-4 and DFARS 219.705-4. Subcontracting goals are established by the
Government on an individual contract basis; see NGA clause 5X52.219-9002, Small Business
Goal under BIG-ST BAA Provisions and Clauses (Separate File posted with this BAA General
Solicitation). The proposed subcontracting goals should be realistic, challenging and attainable
which, to the greatest extent possible, maximize small business participation in subcontracting for
Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Woman-Owned Small Business
(WOSB), Economically-Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), Service-
Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB),
and Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Business, consistent with
applicants’ make-or-buy policy, the pool of and availability of qualified and capable small
business subcontractors, their performance on subcontracts, and existing relationships with
suppliers.
The proposed subcontracting goals should result in efficient contract performance in terms of
cost, schedule, and performance and should not result in increased costs to the Government or
undue administrative burden to the prime contractor.
For additional reference, DoD Small Business Subcontracting Goals may be found at:
https://business.defense.gov/About/Goals-and-Performance/
4.5.7.3 Intellectual Property
Intellectual property and data rights for concepts, research findings and developed products
under this BAA will vary due to topic, security protection requirements, and final negotiated
contract vehicle type. Offerors should note that the Government will not own the intellectual
property, including technical data/computer software, developed under this BAA. Instead, NGA,
as a DoD Component, does reserve a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable right to
reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal purposes, and to authorize others to do
so as well. In addition, as allowed by 35 U.S. Code 202, NGA may determine it is best to restrict
or eliminate the right to retain title on any subject invention funded under this BAA to protect
the security of such activities due to U.S. export control laws, Government furnished
information, or security classification.
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For Procurement Contracts, Offerors are required to assert any data right restrictions that are
directly applicable to the deliverables of the proposed effort, using the template provided in
Attachment 4 to Appendix 2 - Data Rights Assertion Table Template of this solicitation;
Offerors shall submit this Table as Attachment 4 of Volume 3 - Administrative & National
Policy Requirements.
For OTs, Offerors shall specifically identify any asserted data right restrictions that are directly
related to the deliverables of the proposed effort. Offerors shall propose specific Intellectual
Property terms and conditions and a data deliverable list. Offerors shall fill out the template
provided in Attachment 4 to Appendix 2, - Data Rights Assertion Table Template of this
solicitation; Offerors shall submit this Table as Attachment 4 of Volume 3 - Administrative &
National Policy Requirements.
The table under Attachment 4 shall be dated and signed by the official authorized to commit the
organization to the terms of any resulting award. If the Offeror will deliver all technical data and
computer software to the Government without restrictions, enter “NONE” in this table under the
heading “Technical Data or Computer Software to be Furnished with Restrictions.”
(1) Patents:
The Offeror shall list any known patents, patent applications, or inventions which the
Offeror may be required to license in order to perform the work described in the
proposal, or which the Government may be required to license to make or use the
deliverables of the contract, should the proposal be selected for award. For any patent or
patent application listed above, the Offeror shall provide the patent number or patent
application publication number, a summary of the patent or invention title, and indicate
whether the Offeror is the patent or invention owner. If a patent or invention is in-
licensed by the Offeror, identify the licensor.
If any listed patent, patent application or invention is owned or licensed by the Offeror,
the Offeror shall provide a statement, in writing, if it either owns or possesses the
appropriate licensing rights to patent, patent application or invention to perform the work
described in the proposal and/or if the Offeror will grant the Government a license to
make or use the deliverables for the proposed program. If any listed patent, patent
application or invention is not owned or licensed by the Offeror, then the Offeror shall
explain how it will obtain a license, how the Government may obtain a license and/or
whether the Offeror plans to obtain these rights on behalf of the Government.
Be advised that no patent, patent application or invention disclosure will be accepted if
not pre-identified in Attachment 4, Data Rights Assertion Table (Volume 3) and
included in your proposal. Existing inventions, patents and patent applications shall be
discussed in the above list. Government rights in any technology that might be invented
or reduced to practice under this BAA are addressed in the patent rights clause to be
included in the contract.
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(2) Data Rights
Proposals submitted in response to this BAA shall identify, to the extent known at the
time an offer is submitted to the Government, the technical data or computer software
that the Offeror, its subcontractors or suppliers, or potential subcontractors or suppliers,
assert should be furnished to the Government with restrictions on use, release, or
disclosure, in accordance with DFARS 252.227-7017, Identification and Assertion of
Use, Release or Disclosure Restrictions, and DFARS 252.227-7028, Technical Data or
Computer Software Previously Delivered to the Government. The restrictions, if any,
shall be directly applicable to the deliverables of the proposed effort and shall, therefore,
reference the respective deliverables listed within the SOW. The Offeror's assertions,
including the assertions of its subcontractors or suppliers or potential subcontractors or
suppliers, shall be submitted as Attachment 4, Data Rights Assertion Table, under
Volume 3, Administrative and National Policy Requirements (Template is at Attachment
4 to Appendix 2).
4.5.7.4 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI) Disclosure and Analysis Form(s)
Offerors and their subcontractors shall each submit an OCI Disclosure Form as Attachment 5 of
Volume 3; template is at Appendix 2, Attachment 5 - OCI Disclosure and Analysis Form.
This form shall also be submitted if no actual or potential OCI is identified.
If the Government determines that a Offeror failed to fully disclose an OCI; failed to provide the
disclosure of NGA support; or failed to reasonably provide additional information requested by
the Government to assist in evaluating the Offeror’s OCI mitigation plan, the Government may
reject the proposal and withdraw it from consideration for award.
Volume 4 - SECURITY
4.5.8.1 Research and Technology Protection
4.5.8.1.1 Program Protection Implementation Plan (PPIP)
The PIPP shall only be submitted upon NGA’s request after proposal selection.
Offerors will not submit a PPIP with their initial proposal package. Instead, NGA will first
complete the scientific review process and select the proposals that will be funded.
NGA will request a PPIP from Offerors whose proposals were selected for funding.
Topic Calls that will require a PPIP (again, provided only after NGA selects proposals that will
be funded) will state so in the Topic Call. PPIP submission information can be found in the
‘Research and Technology Protection’ attachment. (Separate File posted with this BAA
General solicitation on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and Classified IC-ARC)
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4.5.8.1.2 Common Disclosure Forms (applicable to Fundamental
Research)
Awards which cover fundamental research (see definition in Appendix 6) funded by the
Department of Defense (DoD), regardless of award instrument or type of proposing entity, are
required to submit certified Common Disclosure Forms for each covered individual (see
Appendix 6 for definition).
The Common Disclosure Forms shall only be submitted upon NGA’s request after
proposal selection.
Offerors will not submit them with their initial proposal package. Instead, NGA will first
complete the scientific review process and select the proposals that will be funded.
NGA will request these forms from Offerors whose proposals were selected for funding; the
‘Research and Technology Protection’ attachment provides the link to the two Common
Disclosure Forms. (Separate File posted with this BAA General solicitation on SAM.gov,
Grants.gov, and Classified IC-ARC)
4.5.8.2 Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)
NGA will provide specific instructions at the Topic Call level for projects that require access to
Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
For unclassified proposals containing CUI, applicants will ensure personnel and information
systems processing CUI meet all security requirements provided in the Topic Call.
4.5.8.3 Classified Submissions and Topics
For Topic Calls that will require classified work and/or access to classified information, NGA
will provide specific instructions for submitting a Security Plan and all required attachments at
the Topic Call level. Instructions will also provide information on how NGA will evaluate the
Security Plan and attachments. If additional security requirements are released at the Topic level,
Offerors shall adhere to the security requirements to be eligible to participate in the applicable
Topic Area.
Classified questions or comments regarding this BAA must be submitted via email to
BIGSTBAA@coe.ic.gov. (An unclassified email shall be sent to the BIGSTBAA@nga.mil to
notify the Contracting Officer of the intent to submit classified information.)
Topic Calls will identify the highest classification level for that topic; if the highest classification
level is classified, the Topic Call will provide further instructions for where Offerors can submit
classified proposals.
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If a Topic is posted on the Classified IC-ARC, NGA will provide a SAM.gov notice that a
classified Topic has been posted on the Classified IC-ARC site.
Classified IC-ARC Sign Up Instructions: Offerors will first need to set up an account on the
Unclassified ARC at https://acq.westfields.net/ and provide a classified e-mail address. Offerors
will then get an e-mail at the classified address with login and password information to establish
a Classified IC-ARC account. The high side ARC website is: https://acq.nro.ic.gov. You shall
validate/activate your high side account within 24 hours of trying to login to the Classified IC-
ARC or it will be disabled. If it is disabled, you shall contact the ACE Helpdesk at secure 855-
4ACE or unclassified 703-230-6300. It may take up to 48 hours for a classified account to be
established.
For Classified Topics, once registered and logged in at the Classified IC-ARC, Offerors can
click and select the BIG-ST BAA Classified IC-ARC page under NGA. Offerors will need to
use the Q&A link on that page to submit a question or comment, and to view the responses to all
questions and comments, including those submitted by other interested parties. For assistance,
please refer to Classified IC-ARC 20 Users Guide under the Help Resources button at the top of
the Classified IC-ARC page. Please email the Contracting Officer whenever a question or
information is submitted to the Classified IC-ARC site to ensure a timely response.
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5. Abstract and Proposal Review Information
5.1 Abstract Review Criteria & Process
During the review of the Abstracts the following will be considered in accordance with the BAA
intent:
• Proposed concept constitutes Basic Research, Applied Research, Advanced
Technology Development and/or Advanced Component Development and Prototype
efforts IAW DFARS 235.016.
• Proposed concept is within the scope of the specific posted topic.
• Overall scientific and technical merit of the proposed research; approach that enables
novel/innovative advances over current state of practice.
• Potential contribution to NGA’s Research mission.
• ROM Cost/Price presents an affordable path for the Government based on the Topic
Area Budget.
Abstract Feedback: After abstract review, feedback will be provided to the Offeror as to
whether they are or are not recommended to submit a full proposal. Regardless of NGA’s
response to an abstract, Offerors may submit a full proposal. (Reminder: Offerors who did not
submit an abstract are ineligible to submit a proposal.)
5.2 Proposal Review Process
Proposals received in response to the BIG-ST BAA solicitation will be evaluated in accordance
with the 8-step procedures set forth below:
1 Conformance Review
2 Scientific/Technical Review
3 Analysis of Proposed Resources
4 Funding Decision
5 Security Evaluation (If Applicable)
6 Cost/Price Evaluation
7 Administrative and National Policy Requirements
8 Final Award(s) Decision.
Step 1: Conformance Review
An administrative conformance review will be performed to verify that the proposal includes
all required documentation and information as set forth within this BAA and the applicable
Topic Call; proposals that fail to do so will be deemed non-conforming and may be removed
from consideration. The Government may provide Offerors with the opportunity to fix
administrative errors or supply missing attachments if it is in the best interest of the Government
and does not create an unfair advantage for a Offeror.
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Step 2: Scientific/Technical Review
NGA will conduct a scientific/technical review of each conforming proposal. Proposals will not
be evaluated against each other because they are not submitted in accordance with a common
work statement. NGA’s intent is to review proposals as soon as possible after they arrive;
however, proposals may be reviewed periodically for administrative reasons.
CONFIDENCE RATING
NGA will conduct the scientific/technical review of each proposal using two (2) Technical
Evaluation Factors; section 5.2.2.1 discusses each one. The Government will assess its level of
confidence that the Offeror understands the goals and objectives of the research topic, proposes a
sound approach, and will be successful in performing the proposed work. As warranted, the
confidence assessment will consider the extent to which successful performance will require
Government intervention, or Government participation beyond what is stated in the proposal.
After evaluation of the technical proposal, NGA will assign each technical factor a Confidence
Rating of High, Some, or Low; the definitions are shown below.
Confidence Rating Definition
The Government has high confidence that the Offeror understands the goals and
High Confidence objectives of the research topic, proposes a sound approach, and will be
successful in performing the proposed work.
The Government has some confidence that the Offeror understands the goals and
Some Confidence objectives of the research topic, proposes a sound approach, and will be
successful in performing the proposed work.
The Government has low confidence that the Offeror understands the goals and
Low Confidence objectives of the research topic, proposes a sound approach, or will be successful
in performing the proposed work.
The NGA scientific/technical review team will also make a funding recommendation to the
NGA final funding decision authority. The funding recommendations include:
• Recommended for full funding;
• Recommended for partial funding;
• Recommended for funding if funds become available within three months of final
funding decision;
• Not recommended for funding.
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5.2.2.1 Proposal Technical Evaluation Criteria
The following are the Technical Evaluation Factors, in descending order of importance:
Factor 1 Scientific and Technical Merit
Factor 2 Mission Alignment
5.2.2.1.1 Factor 1: Scientific and Technical Merit
The Government will evaluate this factor based on the extent to which
• Proposed effort investigates an innovative approach that enables revolutionary
advances or substantial improvements to the existing state of practice.
• Technical approach (e.g., Schedule, Risk, Team Experience) is realistic,
meaning that it can be implemented with proposed resources and within
the given constraints.
• Technical approach is feasible, meaning that it can achieve the desired
outcome and solve the problem.
5.2.2.1.2 Factor 2: Mission Alignment
The Government will evaluate this factor based on the extent to which
• Proposed effort is within the scope of the BAA and Topic Call and relevant to
the NGA Research Mission.
• Proposed Data Rights/Intellectual Property promote technology integration or
adoption.
• Proposal has potential to transition deliverables to future Government needs or
use proposed research results for other programs.
Step 3: Analysis of Proposed Resources
For proposals that the scientific/technical review team recommended for full or partial funding,
or fund if funds become available, the Government will review whether the labor hours and mix
are consistent with the technical proposal and are realistic for the work proposed. The
Government will also assess if proposed material, equipment, software, other direct cost, and
travel, are well justified, reasonable, and required for successful execution of the proposed work.
In addition, the Government will review if contractor assumptions / requests for Government
Furnished Property / Contractor Acquired Property (GFP/CAP) and Government Furnished
Information (GFI) are realistic and reasonable to achieve a successful outcome.
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Step 4: Funding Decision
Based on the recommendations of the Scientific/Technical Review team, the Scientific Review
Official (SRO) will make a final funding decision of proposals. Possible funding decisions
include:
• Fully fund proposal
• Partially fund proposal
• Fund if funds become available within three months of final funding decision
• Not fund proposal
The Government will select the proposal(s) for negotiation and potential award(s) which is most
advantageous to the government, subject to availability of funding.
Following the review and selection process described above, but prior to negotiations and
possible award, the Government will review Volume 2 (Cost/Price), Volume 3 (Administrative
and National Policy Requirements), and Volume 4 (Security) for all proposals selected for
funding or partial funding.
Step 5: Security Evaluation
Proposals selected for funding or partial funding will undergo a Security evaluation IAW the
Security Instructions provided in each Topic Call.
Proposals selected for funding if funds become available will undergo the Security evaluation
once funds become available.
5.2.5.1 Classified Projects
For Topics that will require classified work, or access to classified information, NGA will
provide specific instructions for submitting a Security Plan and all required attachments in the
Topic Call.
In general, the Government will evaluate security information provided in the proposal on a
Pass/Fail basis to determine security eligibility, and the ability to satisfy the requirements set
forth in the DD Form 254. The Government will conduct an assessment of the Offeror’s security
plan, explaining how Offeror will comply with security policies and regulations. The Offeror
shall provide information that can be verified via NGA, DoD, and/or IC databases and/or
through coordination with other DoD and IC agencies, as applicable. Proposal shall follow the
security instructions provided in the Topic Call solicitation.
Proposals that fail the Security component of this volume may be eliminated from further
consideration, or the Government may conduct clarifications or discussions to provide an
opportunity for Offerors to correct failed items.
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Depending on the project, there could be up to five (5) Security Factors which could be used to
evaluate Security:
• Security Factor 1: Facility Clearance (FCL) and Foreign Ownership, Control, or
Influence (FOCI)
• Security Factor 2: Personnel Security Clearance Level (PCL)/ Sensitive
Compartmented Information (SCI) access
• Security Factor 3: Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF)
• Security Factor 4: Security Plan
• Security Factor 5: Supply Chain Risk
5.2.5.2 Program Protection Implementation Plan (PPIP) Review
For proposals selected for funding that require a PPIP, the Government will review information
provided in the PPIP to determine the Offeror’s ability to identify and protect technology
elements essential to meet topic-specific requirements, in accordance with DoDI 5000.83 and the
DoD Technology and Program Protection (TPP) Guidebook.
NGA will work with the potential awardee to submit a PPIP that meets protection of information
requirements within five (5) sections.
The following table describes the requirements that each section must meet:
SUBFACTOR Requirement
The PPIP (1) describes the purpose of the program that will
1. Introduction, Updates,
be addressed by the PPIP; and (2) identifies the lead prime
and Responsible Points of
and subcontractor personnel responsible for implementing
Contact (POCs)
countermeasures described in the PPIP.
The PPIP sufficiently demonstrates (1) how the Offeror will
conduct, validate, and maintain Critical Technology Element
2. Technology Element
(CTE) assessments for all development activities throughout
Identification and Impact
the program lifecycle; including (2) how technologies are
Assessment
selected as critical; and (3) reasons why other technologies
are not selected as critical.
The PPIP sufficiently describes the process for identifying
and assessing (1) threats and (2) vulnerabilities specific to
CTE or assessed as more likely given the program’s content
3. Identified Threats and
or intent, including (3) what sources will inform identification
Vulnerabilities
and assessment and (4) how the Offeror will maintain
awareness of emerging threats and vulnerabilities throughout
the program lifecycle.
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The PPIP sufficiently describes (1) how the Offeror plans to
4. Countermeasures and
address Section 4, “Countermeasures and Risk Mitigation
Risk Mitigation Plan
Plan,” of Attachment 9 of Appendix 2; or (2) why a given
subsection is not applicable given the program’s content or
intent.
The PPIP sufficiently (1) identifies the lead prime and
subcontractor personnel responsible for response
5. Response, Recovery, and
coordination; and sufficiently describes (2) reporting and (3)
Support
remediation policies necessary to address Section 5,
“Response, Recovery, and Support,” of Attachment 9 of
Appendix 2.
5.2.5.3 Common Disclosure Forms Review
For proposals selected for funding that require certified Common Disclosure Forms, IAW
sections 4.5.8.1 of this General Solicitation, NGA will conduct risk-based security reviews of the
required disclosures in accordance with “Countering Unwanted Foreign Influence in
Department-Funded Research at Institutions of Higher Education”, dated 29 June 2023, and
section 10632(a)(1) of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-167), to identify
practices or behaviors identified in Table 1 of the “DoD Component Decision Matrix to Inform
Fundamental Research Proposal Mitigation Decisions.”
Congruent with executive, congressional, and departmental direction, NGA may decline award
to a Offeror when:
1. The Offeror
(a) receives federal funds in excess of $50 million per year and has not
established a research security program in accordance with National Security
Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33); or
(b) hosts a Confucius Institute (as defined in the National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024), unless the Offeror has been issued a
waiver by the Secretary of Defense; or
(c) is an entity identified as a Chinese military company operating in the United
States in accordance with section 1260h of the William M. ("Mac")
Thornberry NDAA for FY 2021 (10 U.S.C. 113; Public Law 116-283); or
(d) has a covered individual who is published on the list under section 1237(b) of
the Strom Thurmond NDAA for FY 1999 (Public Law 105-261; 50 U.S.C.
1701 note.); or
(e) has a covered individual that is party to a MFTRP; or
(f) does not have a policy or procedure addressing MFTRPs; or
2. The Offeror, its parent company or its subsidiary is:
(a) located in a foreign country of concern (FCOC); or
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(b) has an owner or covered individual that has a foreign affiliation with a
research institution located in a FCOC; or
(c) has an owner or covered individual that is party to a MFTRP; and
3. The relationships and commitments described in clauses 2(a) through 2(c):
(a) interfere with NGA’s capacity to carry out activities it supports;
(b) create duplication with DoD-supported activities;
(c) present concerns about conflicts of interest (CoI) or commitment (CoC);
(d) were not appropriately disclosed to NGA;
(e) violate Federal law or NGA terms and conditions; or
(f) pose a risk to national security.
Step 6: Cost/Price Evaluation
Proposals selected for funding or partial funding will undergo a Cost/Price evaluation, inclusive
of all optional periods/tasks, to determine that the final agreed-to price is fair and reasonable.
(Proposals selected for funding if funds become available will undergo the evaluation once funds
become available.)
Applicable to Fixed Price (FP), Time and Materials (T&M), and Labor Hours (LH) Contract
Type Proposals:
The Government will evaluate whether the proposed price to perform proposed work is
reasonable and whether the unit prices are balanced. The Government reserves the right, at its
sole discretion, to conduct a realism analysis of any of the proposals, as described at FAR
15.404-1(d)(3).
Applicable to Cost Contract Type Proposals:
The proposed costs will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 15.4 for reasonableness and
realism. The Government will perform a Cost Realism analysis pursuant to FAR 15.404-1(d).
Applicable to Grants and Cooperative Agreements:
With respect to Grants and Cooperative Agreements, awards will be made as Cost
Reimbursement (no fee) only. A price reasonableness and completeness evaluation will be
completed.
Step 7: Administrative and National Policy Requirements
This step is only conducted for proposals selected for funding or partial funding. (Proposals
selected for funding if funds become available will undergo the evaluation once funds become
available.) Proposal will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis, as applicable, and as outlined below.
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Proposals that fail an element of this volume may be eliminated from further consideration, or
the Government may conduct clarifications or discussions to provide an opportunity for Offerors
to correct failed items.
Representation and Certifications
SAM.gov will be checked to ensure all Representations and Certifications are completed. The
CO will also check the required DFARS and contract-specific certification packages submitted
with the proposal as listed in the BIG-ST BAA Provisions and Clauses (Separate File posted
with this BAA General Solicitation).
For grants and cooperative agreements, the Contracting Officer will ensure that the SF 424 is
filled out properly to address the certification of compliance with the national policy mandate
concerning lobbying for Grants greater than $100,000 (see section 4.5.1). If the SF 424 is not
filled out, the certification in Volume 4 shall be signed by an Authority of Record for the
Company. The SF 424 shall also have Block 17 checked “I agree” in order to satisfy the
Prohibition on Contract with Entities that Required Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements
Representation.
Subcontracting Plan (see section 4.5.7.2)
For proposals from other than small businesses requesting procurement contracts expected to
exceed $750,000.00 (total contract value including option periods), the Contracting Officer will
complete a review of the Offeror’s Small Business Sub-Contracting Plan IAW FAR 19.705-4
and DFARS 219.705-4, and coordinate approval of the Plan with the NGA Small Business
Office. Master, Comprehensive, and Commercial plans are acceptable and encouraged.
Intellectual Property (see section 4.5.7.3)
Information provided related to intellectual property will be considered as part of the evaluation
and confidence ratings of the Scientific/Technical review.
OCI Disclosure and Analysis Form(s) (see section 4.5.7.4)
The Disclosure and Analysis form(s) will be reviewed to determine if any actual or perceived
OCI exist. If actual or perceived OCI exist, the Government will require the Offeror to submit an
OCI plan. The Offeror’s OCI plan will be reviewed to determine if the plan is acceptable to the
Government. Unacceptable OCI plans will be rated as FAIL and will preclude award.
Step 8: Final Award(s) Decision.
Award(s) will be made to the Offeror(s) whose proposal(s) are determined to be most
advantageous to the Government, all criteria considered, and cost/price determined to be
fair/reasonable.
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Additional information regarding the planned number of awards will be released with each Topic
Call.
5.3 Selection Notices
At the earliest practicable opportunity, the Government will provide a notice to each Offeror
advising the Offeror of the disposition of their proposal. A Offeror whose proposal is selected for
negotiations and possible award will be contacted by a Government Contracting Officer to
discuss any additional information required for award. The anticipated project start date will be
determined at this time. The appropriate award document, when signed by the Government
Contracting Officer, is the authorizing award document.
5.4 Handling of Source Selection Information
NGA policy is to treat all submissions as source selection sensitive information (FAR 2.101 and
3.104), and to only disclose their contents to authorized personnel. Restrictive notices
notwithstanding, submissions may be handled by support contractors for administrative purposes
and/or to assist with technical evaluation. All NGA support contractors performing this role are
expressly prohibited from performing NGA-sponsored technical research, and are bound by
appropriate nondisclosure agreements. Subject to the restrictions set forth in FAR 37.203(d),
NGA may also request input on technical aspects of the proposals from other non-Government
consultants/experts who are strictly bound by the appropriate nondisclosure requirements. Refer
to BIG-ST BAA Provisions and Clauses (Separate File posted with this BAA General
solicitation), 5X52.209-9004, Use of Contractor Support, for specific information concerning
NGA use of contractor support. By submitting an abstract or a proposal to this solicitation, a
contractor is granting permission to the Government to share that abstract/proposal with non-
Government advisors.
6. Award Administration Information
6.1 Invoicing and Payments
Procurement Contracts and OTs:
For Procurement Contracts and OTs awarded prior to 19 Feb 2025, see 5X52.232-9000:
Submission of Invoice-Federal Payment Center (FPC) in the BIG-ST BAA Provisions and
Clauses (Separate File posted with this BAA General solicitation on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and
Classified IC-ARC)
For Procurement Contracts and OTs awarded on or after 19 Feb 2025, see 5X52.232-9003,
Usage of the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) in the BIG-ST BAA Provisions and Clauses
(Separate File posted with this BAA General solicitation on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and
Classified IC-ARC)
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6.1.2 Grants and Cooperative Agreements
6.1.2.1 Invoice and Payment Procedures
You shall request payment on a monthly basis using Standard Form 270, Request for Advance or
Reimbursement. Requests for payment shall be submitted by email to the Award Administration
Office (ONR_San_Diego@navy.mil), Grants Office (OCSGrants@nga.mil), and the Program
(BIGSTBAAPMO@nga.mil). The subject line of the email shall contain the Grant Agreement
number followed by “SF270”. For example: HM04762410001_SF270.
6.1.2.2 Electronic Funds Transfer Information
All payments will be made by electronic funds transfer (EFT) to the bank account registered
within https://www.sam.gov. You shall maintain the currency of information about yourself in
SAM, including information necessary to facilitate payment via EFT. NGA cannot be held
responsible for any misdirection or loss of payment which occurs as the result of failure to
maintain correct/current EFT information within the SAM registration.
6.1.2.3 Questions for the Payment Office
Questions concerning specific payments should be directed to the Award Administration Office
and Grants Office. The award number and voucher number will be required to inquire about the
status of the payment.
6.2 Information Technology
The Contractor shall ensure that all systems, hardware, software, software engineering, and
information and communications technology (ICT) associated with this effort is made in a
manner that is accessible for people with disabilities as directed in the NGA Instruction 8400.4
and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended in 1998 (Section 508).
The Contractor shall manually test for accessibility and provide an Accessibility Conformance
Report (ACR) for each ICT item offered through this contract. The ACR shall be created by
using the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) version 2.4 or later.
The Contractor shall pursue human centered design and usability guidelines in order to ensure
that all services associated with this effort are accessible by as many users as possible and as a
means to drive modernization, innovation, and enhance mission support.
The Government reserves the right to perform testing on required ICT to validate Section 508
Compliance, and if the ICT is found to be noncompliant (partial compliance is regarded as
noncompliance), the Contractor shall provide a remediation plan and remediate ICT to align with
Section 508 requirements.
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If it is determined by the Government that ICT supplies, products, platforms,
information, documentation, and services support provided by the Contractor do not
conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the
supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support to the level
of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its
own expense.
All ICT associated with the contract may use Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
2.1 to comply with Section 508 or use alternative designs or technologies which result in
substantially equivalent or greater access to and use of the product for people with disabilities.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (w3.org)
Requests for exceptions to these requirements shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer with
an appropriate justification as soon as possible and at least 60 days prior to submission of any
affected deliverable.
Additional information, including definitions and requirements are available at:
https://www.section508.gov and NGA Instruction (NGAI) 8400.4. (Separate File posted with
this BAA General solicitation on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and Classified IC-ARC)
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6.3 Travel
Procurement Contracts
Travel is required by the Contractor for this effort. Travel shall consist of locations within
CONUS and OCONUS and shall be performed as required by assigned tasks. All travel shall be
directed by the COR or Government Program Manager (PM) and approved in advance in writing
to ensure contract funds availability. All travel shall be in accordance with the Joint Travel
Regulation (JTR).
The Contractor will be authorized travel expenses in accordance with FAR 31.205-46. The
Contractor shall review and justify all requests for travel and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) before
forwarding to the CO, COR/ACOR for approval prior to any expenditures. Only the CO, COR,
or ACOR are authorized to approve Contractor travel.
The Contractor may be required to travel from their primary work location to other NGA
locations, other US Government locations, and Contractor facilities, as well as NGA partner sites
worldwide in support of NGA activities. Travel requirements may be adjusted at the discretion
of the Government. For air travel, the Contractor shall use non-refundable rates to the maximum
extent possible and must use economy or coach accommodations on an airplane, train, or ship. In
accordance with NGAI 5240.3, the Contractor shall submit and have all OCONUS travel
submitted to the NGA Support Team no later than 30 calendar days prior to travel for personnel
cleared to CPI, SCI, or SAP. Traveling personnel shall complete all required foreign travel
briefs, any required regional or other training (e.g., SERE, etc.), and submissions in the Aircraft
and Personnel Automated Clearance System (APACS), Travel Tracker Individual Anti-
Terrorism Plan system (for USINDOPACOM AOR) and Personnel Recovery Mission Software
(PRMS) system, and have Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) approvals (when required) prior
to traveling. Contractor travel to OCONUS NGA partner sites shall comply with all host nation
and SOFA travel and other requirements and Center for Disease Control (CDC), host nation and
DoD travel health-related restrictions.
6.3.2 Grants and Cooperative Agreements
Reference APPENDIX 5 Grants Coops Instructions.docx
6.3.3 Other Transactions
Please refer to specific OT contracts for travel requirements, when applicable.
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6.4 Government Furnished Property/Contractor Acquired Property, Government
Furnished Information
The Government will provide the necessary GFP, as required. All Contractor Acquired Property
(CAP) becomes GFP at item delivery.
Unless specified in the Topic Call and/or awarded proposals, all GFP/CAP must be returned to
the Government. GFI will be required to be either returned to the Government or destroyed at the
end of its usefulness to the contract.
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Appendix 1 – Abstract Template
Use the following embedded Abstract Template to develop/complete an Abstract:
Appendix 1 titled “APPENDIX 1 Abstract Template.docx” is a Separate File posted with this
BAA General solicitation on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and Classified IC-ARC.
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Appendix 2 – Proposal Template
Use the following embedded Proposal Template to develop/complete a Proposal with all
volumes and attachments:
Appendix 2 titled “APPENDIX 2 Proposal Template.docx” is a Separate File posted with this
BAA General solicitation on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and Classified IC-ARC.
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Appendix 3 – Award Types & Instruments
1. Award Types
a. Cost / Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF)
Cost awards allow the contractor to invoice for the allowable incurred costs up to the funding
ceiling in accordance with the final estimate of costs awarded. Cost and CPFF awards are
common in Research and Development (R&D) and provide flexibility with cost variances within
the ceiling, i.e. changes in level of effort per month or material changes.
Contractors who propose Cost or CPFF contracts typically have had previous contracts with the
Department of Defense (DoD), and shall have a Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)
compliant accounting system that is adequate for determining costs applicable to the contract
(this is not applicable to Grants or Cooperative Agreements).
b. Fixed Price (FFP)
FFP awards are best used if costs are well defined for the deliverables, because the allowed price
is not adjustable with variance in contractor’s cost. This contract type places more risk on the
contractor but may be suitable for efforts that are shorter in duration or more limited in scope
such as small studies. FFP contracts require well defined milestones with associated payments.
c. Fixed Price Level-of-Effort (FFP LOE)
FFP LOE awards are best used if the contractor intends to provide a specified level of effort,
over a stated period of time, on work that can only be stated in general terms. This contract type
is suitable for investigation or study in a specific research and development area, and produces a
product that is normally a report, showing the results achieved through application of the
required level of effort.
d. Time and Materials (T&M) / Labor Hour (LH)
T&M and LH awards are commonly used for construction, product development or any other
piece of work, in which the Government agrees to pay the contractor based upon the time spent
by the contractor’s and subcontractor’s employees to perform the work. T&M and LH contracts
are common in R&D and provide flexibility with cost variances within the ceiling, i.e. changes
in level of effort per month or material changes. T&M and LH contracts are generally used for
projects in which it is not possible to accurately estimate the size of the project, or when it is
expected that the project requirements would most likely change. The Government will only
consider T&M and LH contract if a Fixed-Price or Cost-Reimbursement Type Contract is not
appropriate as determined by the Contracting Officer.
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2. Award Instruments
a. Procurement Contract
A legal instrument, authorized under 31 U.S.C. 6303, which reflects a relationship between the
Federal Government and a State, a local government, or other recipient when the principal
purpose of the instrument is to acquire property or services for the direct benefit or use of the
Federal Government.
Fee and profit are not allowed on travel and materials under Procurement Contracts.
This instrument is appropriate for awards of the acquisition of basic, applied, or advanced
research and that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or
hardware procurement, when the principal purpose is to acquire property or services for the
direct benefit or use of the Federal Government. It is an appropriate instrument for Contractors
who have experience working with the DoD and have approved purchasing and accounting
systems.
b. Research OT
Under 10 U.S.C. § 4021, and Director of National Intelligence Memo ES-2023-01837, Subject:
Class Delegation for Intelligence Community Elements to Exercise Director of National
Intelligence Other Transaction Authority, 28 Feb 2024, NGA has authority to award Research
OTs for Basic, Applied, or Advanced research and development (R&D).
Research OTs are used for basic, applied, and advanced research projects that are focused on
validating research results and advancements, rather than for the delivery or acquisition of the
resultant technologies. The goal of these awards is to foster the best technologies for future
defense needs with the most capable performers.
c. OT for Prototype and Follow-on Production
A legal instrument, authorized under 10 U.S.C. 4022, which may be used when a procurement
contract, grant, or cooperative agreement is not feasible or appropriate. The effort covered under
an OT shall not be duplicative of effort being conducted under an existing DoD program. Please
refer to the DoD Other Transaction (OT) Guide, OUSD(A&S), July 2023, Version 2.0. This
document, along with other OT resources, may be accessed at the following link:
https://www.acq.osd.mil/asda/dpc/cp/policy/other-policy-areas.html.
Contractors who do not have experience working with the DoD, or who do not have approved
accounting systems, may be interested in proposing an OT. NGA has authority to use OTs for
prototype projects directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of military personnel
and the supporting platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or
developed by the Department of Defense, or for improvement of platforms, systems,
components, or materials in use by the Armed Forces.
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OTs for Prototypes offer flexibility that allows for open negotiation of many agreement terms
and conditions instead of traditional FAR and DFARS clauses.
In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022, NGA may award a follow-on production contract or Other
Transaction (OT) for any OT awarded under this BAA if:
• The OT participant, or a recognized successor in interest to the OT, successfully
completed the entire prototype project provided for in the OT, as modified; and
• The OT provides for the award of a follow-on production contract or OT to the
participant, or a recognized successor in interest to the OT.
d. Grants
A legal instrument, authorized under 31 U.S.C. 6304, used to transfer a thing of value to the
recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law or the
United States, rather than to acquire property or services for the Department of Defense’s direct
benefit or use. Substantial involvement is not expected between the Department of Defense and
the recipient when carrying out the activity contemplated by the grant.
Grants are commonly used by academic and research institutions and other non-profit entities.
They are most appropriate for fundamental research that will provide the most value to society
by being shared widely to encourage further research and development work.
Grants may be requested through this BAA in response to the specific Topic calls.
Grants are governed by Subtitle A and Chapter XI of Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Fee and Profit are not allowed under Grants.
e. Cooperative Agreement
A legal instrument, authorized under 31 U.S.C. 6305, that is similar to a grant, except allowing
for substantial involvement between the DoD and the recipient when carrying out the research
activity. As with a Grant, a cooperative agreement provides assistance to carry out a public
purpose of support or stimulation. A cooperative agreement is different from cooperative
research and development agreement (CRADA) as defined in 15 U.S.C. 3710a.
Cooperative agreements are most appropriate for entities that want a higher level of involvement
from the Government than is typically provided under other instruments.
Cooperative agreements are governed by Subtitle A and Chapter XI of Title 2 of the Code of
Federal Regulations
Fee and profit are not allowed under Cooperative Agreements.
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This instrument is appropriate for basic, applied, or advanced research awards when the principal
purpose is to transfer a thing of value to the recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or
stimulation authorized by a law or the United States, rather than to acquire property or services
for the Department of Defense’s direct benefit or use. Substantial involvement is expected
between the Department of Defense and the award recipient when carrying out the cooperative
agreement activity.
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Appendix 4 – Governance Information
1. Grants and cooperative agreements for institutions of higher education, nonprofit
organizations, foreign organizations, and foreign public entities:
a. Subtitle A and Chapter XI of Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations
b. 32 CFR Parts 21, 22, 26, and 28
c. DoD Research and Development General Terms and Conditions;
Check the following website for the most recent version: https://www.onr.navy.mil/work-
with-us/manage-your-award/manage-grant-award/grants-terms-conditions
d. Award-specific terms and conditions
2. Grants and cooperative agreements for for-profit and nonprofit organizations exempted
from Subpart E - Cost Principles of 2 CFR Part 200:
a. 32 CFR Part 34 – Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with For-
Profit Organizations
b. 32 CFR Parts 21, 22, 26, and 28
c. DoD Research and Development General Terms and Conditions
d. Agency-specific Research Terms and Conditions
e. Award-specific terms and conditions
3. OTs are primarily governed by the following:
a. 10 U.S.C 4021 and 4022
b. Guide to Research Other Transactions, OUSD(R&E), June 2023
c. DoD Other Transaction (OT) Guide, OUSD(A&S), July 2023, Version 2.0
OT resources may be accessed at the following link:
https://www.acq.osd.mil/asda/dpc/cp/policy/other-policy-areas.html.
4. The following websites may be accessed to obtain an electronic copy of the governing
regulations and terms and conditions for procurement contracts:
a. FAR, DFARS: <FAR | Acquisition.GOV>
b. Code of Federal Regulations: https://www.govinfo.gov/
c. NARI clauses/instructions (BIG-ST BAA Provisions and Clauses (Separate File posted
with this BAA General solicitation))
Contracts awarded by the NGA OCS-R Division will contain, where appropriate, detailed special
provisions concerning patent, rights in technical data and computer software, reporting
requirements, equal employment opportunity, etc. Contracts are primarily governed by the
following regulations:
i. Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
ii. Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFAR)
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iii. NGA Acquisition Regulation Implementation (NARI)
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Appendix 5 – Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal Preparation &
Submission Instructions
Open the following embedded Section 4.5.2 Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal
Preparation & Submission Instructions:
Appendix 5 titled “APPENDIX 5 Grants Coops.docx” is a Separate File posted with this BAA
General solicitation on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and Classified IC-ARC.
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Appendix 6 - Definitions
As used throughout this BAA, “Offeror” refers to the lead organization on a submission to this
BAA. The Offeror is responsible for ensuring that all information required by a BAA--from all
team members--is submitted in accordance with the BAA. “Awardee” refers to anyone who
might receive a prime award from the Government, including recipients of procurement
contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or Other Transactions. “Sub-awardee” refers to
anyone who might receive a sub-award from a prime awardee (e.g., sub-awardee, consultant,
etc.).
“Conforming” is defined as having been submitted in accordance with the requirements outlined
herein. If a proposal is not submitted in accordance with the requirements outlined herein, the
proposal may be considered non-conforming and ineligible for award.
As used throughout this BAA, “contract” refers to the broad term of an agreement between the
Government and a 3rd party.
“Procurement Contract” is a legal instrument, authorized under 31 U.S.C. 6303, which reflects a
relationship between the Federal Government and a State, a local government, or other recipient
when the principal purpose of the instrument is to acquire property or services for the direct
benefit or use of the Federal Government.
All references to "Unlimited Rights" or "Government Purpose Rights" are intended to refer to
the definitions of those terms as set forth in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation
Supplement (DFARS) 227.
Affiliation: Academic (not including undergraduate or graduate students), professional, or
institutional appointments or positions with a foreign government or a foreign government-
connected entity, whether full-time, part-time, or voluntary (including adjunct, visiting, post-
doctoral appointment, or honorary), where monetary reward, non-monetary reward, or other
quid-pro-quo obligation is involved.
Association: Academic (not including undergraduate or graduate students), professional, or
institutional appointments or positions (including adjunct, visiting, voluntary, post-doctoral
appointment, or honorary) with a foreign government or a foreign government-connected entity
where no monetary reward, non-monetary reward, or other quid-pro-quo is involved.
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BIGST_BAA_HM047623BAA0001_Provisions_Clauses_20250402

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SECTION B - Supplies or Services/Prices
B.1 Supplies or Services/Prices
Item
Description Quantity Unit Unit Price Amount
Number
This section is intentionally left blank and will be filled in at Topic Call level contract award.
SECTION C - Description/Specifications
C.1 Description/Specifications
Please refer to individual Topic Calls under the BIG-ST BAA - HM047623BAA0001.
SECTION D - Packaging and Marking
D.1 Packaging and Marking
This section is intentionally left blank.
SECTION E - Inspection and Acceptance
E.1 Inspection and Acceptance
E.2 52.246-9 INSPECTION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (SHORT FORM). (APR 1984)
SECTION F - Deliveries or Performance
F.1 Deliveries or Performance
Item/Sub Item Unit Of Delivery
Quantity Delivery Address
Number Description Issue Timeframe
F.2 52.242-15 STOP-WORK ORDER. (AUG 1989)
Please refer to individual Topic Calls under the BIG-ST BAA - HM047623BAA0001.
SECTION G - Contract Administration Data
G.1 Contract Administration Data
G.2 252.204-7006 BILLING INSTRUCTIONS-COST VOUCHERS. (MAY 2023)
G.3 5X52.232-9003 ELECTRONIC INVOICING AND PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS
TO IMPLEMENT USAGE OF THE INVOICE PROCESSING PLATFORM (IPP) (FEB 2025)
(a) Definitions. As used in these instructions, "Payment request" means a bill, voucher, invoice, or request for
contract financing payment with associated supporting documentation. The payment request must comply with the
requirements identified in FAR 32.905(b), "Payment documentation and process" and the applicable Payment clause
included in this contract.
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(b) The Contractor shall submit payment requests electronically using the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) at
www.ipp.gov. Information regarding IPP is available on the Internet at www.ipp.gov. Assistance with the IPP
application can be obtained by contacting the IPP Production Helpdesk via email
IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov or phone (866)973-3131. The Contractor shall ensure that its supporting
documentation conforms to IPP requirements. IPP accommodates up to 25 supporting attachments per invoice.
Individual attachment file size may not exceed ten megabytes (10mb). If the Contractor assesses that their
supporting documentation will not reasonably conform to IPP requirements, the Contractor shall contact the
Contracting Officer to explore possible alternatives. In addition, the IPP only allows certain characters to be used as
the invoice number. The invoice number shall conform to the IPP convention and the attachments (if used) shall
match exactly the invoice number allowed. The allowed characters in the IPP are
"abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789-_"
(c) Properly certified invoices shall be entered into the Internet Payment Platform (www.ipp.gov). To assist
(Agency) in making timely payments, the Contractor is required to provide/verify all required fields in the IPP
including: (1) Contract number; (2) Name, address and Taxpayer I.D. number of Contractor; (3) Invoice Date; (4)
Unique invoice number for that particular invoice; (5) Period the payment covers; and (6) Cost amount by each line
item including quantity and unit price
(d) Contractors wishing to check the payment status of their vouchers may do so by calling FPC Vendor Support at
636-321-5251. In addition, questions may be directed to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). In the
absence of a COR, contact the Contracting Officer whose name and contact information appears on the face page of
this contract/order.
(End of clause)
G.4 5X252.201.602-2-91 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) (JAN 2004)
The following contracting officer's representative(s) (COR) are appointed to this contract: (use for Awards)
PRIMARY:
[]
[]
ALTERNATE:
[]
[]
For ordering contracts, the COR(s) will be identified on each delivery/task order.
The COR(s) has a written designation memorandum on file with the procurement office. This memorandum, as
directed by DFARs 252.201-7000(b), specifies the extent of the COR's authority to act on behalf of the contracting
officer. This authority cannot be re-delegated to any other person. The alternate COR acts in behalf of the primary
COR in absence of the primary COR and is appointed through a separate memorandum.
The primary responsibilities of CORs are:
1) Technical Liaison. Oversees the contractor's technical effort to ensure that performance is in strict accordance
with the terms and conditions of the contract. Is the primary interface between the contractor and the contracting
officer on matters pertaining to the contractor's technical performance. Answers technical questions, furnishes
technical instruction and guidance to the contractor relating to contract specifications, and any other instructions of a
technical nature necessary to perform the work as specified in the contract. CORs are not to tell the Contractor how
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to perform, but only what is required of a technical nature. If doubt exists as to whether information to be furnished
falls within the scope of the contract, the COR is to coordinate action with the contracting officer prior to
transmitting the information to the Contractor. Promptly responds to contracting officer queries for technical
information and directs the contractor to submit requests for change, deviation or waiver in writing to the
contracting officer. Keeps the contracting officer informed regarding communications with the contractor in order to
prevent possible misunderstandings or situations that could affect contract terms and conditions and become the
basis for future claims against the Government.
2) Monitoring contractor performance. Ensures delivery schedules are adhered to and provides quality assurance.
Provides status to the contracting officer and other program personnel to ensure compliance with the technical
requirements of the contract. If performance is not proceeding satisfactorily, or if problems are anticipated, promptly
notifies the contracting officer and may provide a recommended technical course of correction action. Reviews and
approves progress reports, technical reports, financial/management reports and other items requiring approval.
Notifies the contracting officer if such reports or items should be rejected, stating the basis for rejection.
3) Technical Evaluation of Contractor Proposal. Evaluates contractor proposals for modifications and provides a
written technical evaluation, to include price or cost elements, to the contracting officer.
4) Reviewing and Approving Payments and Acceptance. Reviews invoices and progress payments for accuracy and
appropriateness and reports any discrepancies and provides concurrence (or non-concurrence) to the Contracting
Officer. Approves payments and accepts work on the appropriate forms for services performed or supplies delivered.
5) Administration of Government Property. Submits to the contracting officer and property specialist a written
evaluation of the disposition of any material/property furnished by the Government that is accountable to the
contract.
6) Security. Coordinates all security requirements of the contract with the contractor and the agency security office,
to include DD254s and contractor access to NGA networks. Ensures AIS accounts of departing NGA contractor on-
site personnel are cancelled expeditiously. Keeps track of any classified documents or data provided and ensures
return or destruction upon completion of the contract.
7) Maintenance of Files. Keeps a file of all records related to the contract to include, but not limited to, the contract,
e-mail correspondence, formal written correspondence, reports, receiving and acceptance reports/forms, technical
evaluations, trip reports, meeting notes, status reports, past performance reports, government property reports and
closeout records.
8) Administration of On-Site contractor personnel information. Maintains information on contractors, prime and
subs, performing on-site at NGA facilities. Coordinates with the contractors and the Human Resource Office (HR)
all contractor data changes, to include arrival and departure, names, physical location(s), NGA organization code of
office responsible for contractor-occupied-space, and employer name, address and phone. Approves badging of
contractors upon contractor completion and submittal of Contractor Data Input Record Form to HR and a
standardized NGA non-disclosure statement.
CORs shall not direct the contractor in any manner that would be of the type of supervision or control that converts
an individual who is an independent Contractor (such as a contractor employee) into a Government employee.
Notwithstanding the delegated duties listed herein, the COR does not possess the authority of a contracting officer
and, therefore, shall not alter the terms and conditions of the contract in any way, to include any commitments or
changes that will affect cost, price, quality, quantity, delivery, or any other term or condition of the contract. The
contracting officer is the only official with the authority to enter into or modify contractual agreements or
commitments. Unauthorized acts could result in personal liability.
The duties and responsibilities set forth herein are not intended to be all-inclusive. The contracting officer may
delegate additional functions as deemed necessary.
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COR appointment and termination on a specific contract shall be effective upon contract/order award or execution
of a modification to the contract by the contracting officer.
(End of Clause)
G.5 5X52.232-9000 SUBMISSION OF INVOICE- DOD FMFO J-8 NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE
AGENCY (NGA) / (OCT 2023) - FOR USE IN CONTRACTS PAID BY THE NGA VENDOR PAY OFFICE
(a) The contractor shall prepare each invoice in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act and email one copy of the
invoice to FMFOINSP@nga.mil.
(b) At the same time of submission of the invoice to the DOD FMFO J-8 NGA Vendor Pay Office, the contractor
shall email a copy to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer (CO), and a copy to the Contracting Officer’s
Representative (COR) at the address set forth in the clause at 5X252.201-602-2-91, Contracting Officer’s
Representative (COR), if applicable. The contractor shall ensure that the invoice submitted to the payment office is
the same invoice that is submitted to the CO, the COR, and the designated DCAA office when clause 5X252.242-
9000 is used, without alteration.
(c) Upon receipt of the invoice, the COR will complete the receiving report and submit via the RRPT database tool.
A copy of the completed receiving report shall also be provided to the Contracting Officer shown on the face of this
contract/order.
(d) Payments will be made by DOD FMFO J-8 NGA Vendor Pay Office, 3838 Vogel Rd, Arnold, MO 63010.
(e) Contractors wishing to check the payment status of their vouchers may do so by calling NGA / DOD FMFO J-8
NGA Vendor Support at (636)321-5251. In addition, questions may be directed to the COR. In the absence of a
COR, contact the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), whose name and contact information appear on the face
page of this contract/order.
(End of Clause)
G.6 5X252.242-9000 APPROVING PAYMENTS (COST REIMBURSEMENT, TIME AND MATERIALS, AND
LABOR HOUR CONTRACTS) (MAR 2023)
(a) Interim Voucher Receipt and Approval in accordance with DFARS 242.803(b)(i)(A) and (B), the contractor shall
prepare an original and three (3) copies of each voucher in accordance with the applicable Prompt Payment Clause
(see 5X52.232-9000). The remaining copies of the vouchers shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer shown on
page 1 of the contract/modification and the Contracting Officer’s Representative shown in Section G.
(b) In the event discrepancies are discovered by the Contracting Officer/Contracting Officer’s Representative before
payment of the voucher, the Contracting Officer/Contracting Officer’s Representative will notify the DCAA auditor,
who will coordinate resolution of the discrepancies and secure a corrected voucher as deemed necessary. Copies of
the corrected voucher will be submitted to the Contracting Officer/Contracting Officer’s Representative. If an offset
is required due to a discrepancy on a paid voucher, then the contractor will show the offset on a subsequent voucher.
(c) Completion/Final Voucher: The contractor shall submit final vouchers and closing documents to DCAA and the
Contracting Officer. After DCAA review, the Contracting Officer approves all completion/final vouchers(s) and
sends to the paying office.
(End of Clause)
BILLING INSTRUCTIONS
a. The Contractor shall submit separate payment invoices covering the amount claimed to be due for services
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rendered under a contract or each task order issued under an existing IDIQ contract.
b. Invoices will be submitted electronically and shall contain the information required by FAR 52.232-25, Prompt
Payment, including the following:
(1) Contract number or Base IDIQ contract number and task order number;
(2) CLIN Description
(3) CLIN/SLIN charged amount;
(4) Dates services were rendered;
(5) Direct labor hour charges by labor category and rate for services rendered (not applicable to FFP);
(6) Other direct costs, if any;
(7) Cumulative value of billings by CLIN/SLIN to date against the applicable contract or task order.
c. Payment invoices for all contracts or task orders shall be submitted in accordance with the payment schedule, but
shall not be submitted more frequently than once a month or by Contracting Officer discretion.
d. Additional billing instructions may be provided under each contract or task order.
e. IDIQ Task Orders. In addition to the above:
(1) By execution of the task order, the Contractor acknowledges that invoice substantiation instruction requirements
may differ under each task order, and the Contractor agrees to provide all data required by the Ordering Contracting
Officer to substantiate invoices.
(2) Funding and billing instructions will be provided at the task order level.
(End of Billing instructions)
G.7.1 DFARS PGI 204.7108 Payment Instructions
See: https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/pgi/pgi_htm/current/PGI204_71.htm#payment_instructions
SECTION H - Special Contract Requirements
H.1 DORMANT ACCOUNT REVIEW-QUARTERLY PARTICIPATION
The Dormant Account Review, Quarterly (DAR-Q) process, is the Department of Defense (DoD) requirement to
increase the Department’s and NGA’s ability to use available appropriations before they expire and ensure
remaining open obligations are valid and liquidated before the cancellation of the appropriation. NGA disseminates
and receives DAR-Q information to and from NGA’s Industry Partners using the National Reconnaissance Office
(NRO) unclassified Acquisition Research Center (ARC) website. NGA provides consolidated lists of lines of
accounting for validation, of which contractor participation is mandatory.
Contractors holding NGA contracts and/or orders are required to support the NGA DAR-Q process. Each contractor
must select two points of contact (POCs) to establish and maintain active accounts on the unclassified NRO ARC at
https://acq.westfields.net.
Contractor POCs use the following information to register:
1.) Full name;
2.) SSN (Optional);
3.) Unclassified email address;
4.) DUNS number; and
5.) Unclassified telephone number.
From the https://acq.westfields.net homepage, click on “Register” in the upper-right-hand corner of the page; follow
the instructions, and enter the requested data. Although not required for DAR-Q compliance, POCs possessing a
classified email account may enter that information during registration to also create a classified ARC account.
POCs should be aware that account activation requires the registered user to validate the account by email within 24
hours of registration. Questions or problems related to the website or the registration process should be directed to
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the unclassified Acquisition Center of Excellence (ACE) Help IT Desk at 703-230-6300 or
acehelpdesk@westfields.net.
NGA will conduct quarterly DAR-Q reviews in accordance with the DoD Financial Management Regulations
(FMR). Contractors with dormant Unliquidated Obligations appearing on any specific quarterly DAR-Q review will
be notified via the NRO ARC. Once notified, contractor POCs are required to validate and upload the contractors’
responses, including supporting documentation, to the NRO ARC by the due date set forth in the relevant timelines
outlined by NGA and the FMR.
H.2 Special Contract Requirements
KEY PERSONNEL CLAUSE
(a) The Contractor shall assign to perform this contract those persons whose resumes were submitted with its
proposal and who are identified below or in the Contractor's proposal as Key Personnel. No substitutions of these
Key Personnel shall be made except in accordance with this clause.
(b) The Contractor agrees that during the first twelve months of contract performance, no key personnel
substitutions will be made unless necessitated by an individual's sudden illness, death, or termination of
employment. In any of these events, the Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer and provide the
information required by paragraph (d) below on the proposed replacement for Government approval.
(c) After the initial twelve-month period, the Contractor must obtain Government approval of the substitution prior
to removing the approved Key Personnel from performance. All proposed substitutions/additions must be
submitted, in writing, to the Contracting Officer at least 30 days (60 days if security clearances are involved) in
advance of the proposed substitution and provide the information required by paragraph (d) below.
(d) All requests for substitutions/additions must include a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the
proposed substitution or addition, a complete resume for the proposed substitute or addition including skills,
experience, education, training, and security level. As determined by the Contracting Officer, all proposed
substitutes/additions must have qualifications that meet or exceed the qualifications of the person to be replaced.
(e) The Contracting Officer or his authorized representatives will evaluate the request(s) and the Contracting Officer
will notify the Contractor, in writing, of approval or disapproval. Disapproval of the proposed individual(s) shall
not provide grounds for nonperformance by the
Contractor or form the basis of any claim for monies, delivery schedule extension, or any other equitable
adjustment.
(f) The personnel set forth as proposed by the Contractor as identified in the Contractor's proposals as Key
Personnel, comprise the list of Key Personnel required to perform under these contracts. The list may be modified in
accordance with the above, to substitute or add personnel:
• Insert Name - Principal Investigator
• Insert Name - Program Manager
Failure to comply with the above throughout the life of this contract may result in a poor past performance survey in
this area.
(End of Clause)
SECTION I - Contract Clauses
I.1 Contract Clauses
I.2 52.202-1 DEFINITIONS. (JUN 2020)
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I.3 52.203-3 GRATUITIES. (APR 1984)
I.4 52.203-5 COVENANT AGAINST CONTINGENT FEES. (MAY 2014)
I.5 52.203-7 ANTI-KICKBACK PROCEDURES. (JUN 2020)
I.6 52.203-8 CANCELLATION, RESCISSION, AND RECOVERY OF FUNDS FOR ILLEGAL OR IMPROPER
ACTIVITY. (MAY 2014)
I.7 52.203-10 PRICE OR FEE ADJUSTMENT FOR ILLEGAL OR IMPROPER ACTIVITY. (MAY 2014)
I.8 52.203-12 LIMITATION ON PAYMENTS TO INFLUENCE CERTAIN FEDERAL TRANSACTIONS. (JUN
2020)
I.9 52.203-15 WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS UNDER THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND
REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009 (JUN 2010)
(a) The Contractor shall post notice of employees rights and remedies for whistleblower protections provided under
section 1553 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5) (Recovery Act).
(b) The Contractor shall include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (b), in all subcontracts that are
funded in whole or in part with Recovery Act funds.
(End of clause)
I.10 52.203-17 CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE WHISTLEBLOWER RIGHTS. (NOV 2023)
I.11 52.203-19 PROHIBITION ON REQUIRING CERTAIN INTERNAL CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS
OR STATEMENTS. (JAN 2017)
I.12 52.204-2 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS. (MAR 2021)
I.13 52.204-2 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS. (MAR 2021) - ALTERNATE I (APR 1984)
I.14 52.204-4 RESERVED
I.15 52.204-9 PERSONAL IDENTITY VERIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL. (JAN 2011)
I.16 52.204-13 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT MAINTENANCE. (OCT 2018)
I.17 52.204-18 COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT ENTITY CODE MAINTENANCE. (AUG 2020)
I.18 52.204-19 INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS. (DEC
2014)
I.19 52.204-21 BASIC SAFEGUARDING OF COVERED CONTRACTOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS. (NOV
2021)
I.20 52.204-23 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING FOR HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND SERVICES
DEVELOPED OR PROVIDED BY KASPERSKY LAB COVERED ENTITIES. (DEC 2023)
I.21 52.204-25 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING FOR CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO
SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT. (NOV 2021)
I.22 52.204-27 PROHIBITION ON A BYTEDANCE COVERED APPLICATION. (JUN 2023)
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I.23 52.209-6 PROTECTING THE GOVERNMENT'S INTEREST WHEN SUBCONTRACTING WITH
CONTRACTORS DEBARRED, SUSPENDED, OR PROPOSED FOR DEBARMENT. (NOV 2021)
I.24 52.209-9 UPDATES OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY
MATTERS. (OCT 2018)
I.25 52.209-10 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING WITH INVERTED DOMESTIC CORPORATIONS. (NOV
2015)
I.26 52.215-2 AUDIT AND RECORDS - NEGOTIATION. (JUN 2020)
I.27 52.215-8 ORDER OF PRECEDENCE - UNIFORM CONTRACT FORMAT. (OCT 1997)
I.28 52.215-10 PRICE REDUCTION FOR DEFECTIVE CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA. (AUG 2011)
I.29 52.215-11 PRICE REDUCTION FOR DEFECTIVE CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA -
MODIFICATIONS. (JUN 2020)
I.30 52.215-12 SUBCONTRACTOR CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA. (JUN 2020)
I.31 52.215-13 SUBCONTRACTOR CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA - MODIFICATIONS. (JUN 2020)
I.32 52.215-15 PENSION ADJUSTMENTS AND ASSET REVERSIONS. (OCT 2010)
I.33 52.215-17 WAIVER OF FACILITIES CAPITAL COST OF MONEY. (OCT 1997)
I.34 52.215-18 REVERSION OR ADJUSTMENT OF PLANS FOR POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (PRB)
OTHER THAN PENSIONS. (JUL 2005)
I.35 52.215-19 NOTIFICATION OF OWNERSHIP CHANGES. (OCT 1997)
I.36 52.215-21 REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA AND DATA OTHER THAN
CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA - MODIFICATIONS. (NOV 2021)
I.37 52.215-23 LIMITATIONS ON PASS-THROUGH CHARGES. (JUN 2020)
I.38 52.215-23 LIMITATIONS ON PASS-THROUGH CHARGES. (JUN 2020) -- ALTERNATE I (OCT 2009)
I.39 52.216-7 ALLOWABLE COST AND PAYMENT. (AUG 2018)
(3) The designated payment office will make interim payments for contract financing on the 30th day after the
designated billing office receives a proper payment request.
I.40 52.216-7 ALLOWABLE COST AND PAYMENT. (AUG 2018) - ALTERNATE II (AUG 2012)
(3) The designated payment office will make interim payments for contract financing on the 30th day after the
designated billing office receives a proper payment request.
I.41 52.216-7 ALLOWABLE COST AND PAYMENT. (AUG 2018) - ALTERNATE IV (AUG 2012)
(3) The designated payment office will make interim payments for contract financing on the 30th day after the
designated billing office receives a proper payment request.
I.42 52.216-8 FIXED FEE. (JUN 2011)
I.43 52.216-11 COST CONTRACT - NO FEE. (APR 1984)
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I.44 52.216-11 COST CONTRACT - NO FEE. (APR 1984) - ALTERNATE I (APR 1984)
I.45 52.216-12 COST-SHARING CONTRACT - NO FEE. (APR 1984)
I.46 52.216-12 COST-SHARING CONTRACT - NO FEE. (APR 1984) - ALTERNATE I (APR 1984)
I.47 52.217-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT. (MAR 2000)
(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within any time before
the contract expires; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to
extend at least 20days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an
extension.
(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed
[(months)(years)].
I.48 52.219-8 UTILIZATION OF SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS. (FEB 2024)
I.49 52.219-9 SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN. (SEP 2023) - ALTERNATE III (JUN 2020)
I.50 52.219-16 LIQUIDATED DAMAGES - SUBCONTRACTING PLAN. (SEP 2021)
I.51 52.219-28 POST-AWARD SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM REREPRESENTATION. (FEB 2024)
(1) The Contractor represents that it [ ] is, [ ] is not a small business concern under NAICS Code [ ] assigned to
contract number [ ].
(2) [Complete only if the Contractor represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (h)(1) of this
clause.] The Contractor represents that it [ ] is, [ ] is not, a small disadvantaged business concern as defined in 13
CFR 124.1001.
(3) [Complete only if the Contractor represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (h)(1) of this
clause.] The Contractor represents that it [ ] is, [ ] is not a women-owned small business concern.
(4) Women-owned small business (WOSB) joint venture eligible under the WOSB Program. The Contractor
represents that it [ ] is, [ ] is not a joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 127.506(a) through
(c). [The Contractor shall enter the name and unique entity identifier of each party to the joint venture: [ ] .]
(5) Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) joint venture. The Contractor represents
that it [ ] is, [ ] is not a joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 127.506(a) through (c). [The
Contractor shall enter the name and unique entity identifier of each party to the joint venture: [ ] .]
(6) [Complete only if the Contractor represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (h)(1) of this
clause.] The Contractor represents that it [ ] is, [ ] is not a veteran-owned small business concern.
(7) [Complete only if the Contractor represented itself as a veteran-owned small business concern in paragraph
(h)(6) of this clause.] The Contractor represents that it [ ] is, [ ] is not a service-disabled veteran-owned small
business concern.
(8) Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) joint venture eligible under the SDVOSB Program.
The Contractor represents that it [ ] is, [ ] is not an SDVOSB joint venture eligible under the SDVOSB Program that
complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 128.402. [The Contractor shall enter the name and unique entity
identifier of each party to the joint venture: [ ].]
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(i) It [ ] is, [ ] is not a HUBZone small business concern listed, on the date of this representation, on the List of
Qualified HUBZone Small Business Concerns maintained by the Small Business Administration, and no material
changes in ownership and control, principal office, or HUBZone employee percentage have occurred since it was
certified in accordance with 13 CFR part 126; and
(ii) It [ ] is, [ ] is not a HUBZone joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR part 126, and the
representation in paragraph (h)(8)(i) of this clause is accurate for each HUBZone small business concern
participating in the HUBZone joint venture. [The Contractor shall enter the names of each of the HUBZone small
business concerns participating in the HUBZone joint venture: [ ].] Each HUBZone small business concern
participating in the HUBZone joint venture shall submit a separate signed copy of the HUBZone representation.
[Contractor to sign and date and insert authorized signer's name and title.]
I.52 52.222-2 PAYMENT FOR OVERTIME PREMIUMS. (JUL 1990)
(a) The use of overtime is authorized under this contract if the overtime premium cost does not exceed zero or the
overtime premium is paid for work-
I.53 52.222-3 CONVICT LABOR. (JUN 2003)
I.54 52.222-35 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR VETERANS. (JUN 2020)
(a) Definitions. As used in this clause-
"Active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran," "Armed Forces service medal veteran," "disabled veteran,"
"protected veteran," "qualified disabled veteran," and "recently separated veteran" have the meanings given at
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 22.1301.
(b) Equal opportunity clause. The Contractor shall abide by the requirements of the equal opportunity clause at 41
CFR 60-300.5(a), as of March 24, 2014. This clause prohibits discrimination against qualified protected veterans,
and requires affirmative action by the Contractor to employ and advance in employment qualified protected
veterans.
(c) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall insert the terms of this clause in subcontracts valued at or above the threshold
specified in FAR 22.1303(a) on the date of subcontract award, unless exempted by rules, regulations, or orders of
the Secretary of Labor. The Contractor shall act as specified by the Director, Office of Federal Contract Compliance
Programs, to enforce the terms, including action for noncompliance. Such necessary changes in language may be
made as shall be appropriate to identify properly the parties and their undertakings.
(End of clause)
I.55 52.222-36 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES. (JUN 2020)
(a) Equal opportunity clause. The Contractor shall abide by the requirements of the equal opportunity clause at 41
CFR 60-741.5(a), as of March 24, 2014. This clause prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the
basis of disability, and requires affirmative action by the Contractor to employ and advance in employment qualified
individuals with disabilities.
(b) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall include the terms of this clause in every subcontract or purchase order in
excess of the threshold specified in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 22.1408(a) on the date of subcontract
award, unless exempted by rules, regulations, or orders of the Secretary, so that such provisions will be binding
upon each subcontractor or vendor. The Contractor shall act as specified by the Director, Office of Federal Contract
Compliance Programs of the U.S. Department of Labor, to enforce the terms, including action for noncompliance.
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Such necessary changes in language may be made as shall be appropriate to identify properly the parties and their
undertakings.
(End of clause)
I.56 52.222-37 EMPLOYMENT REPORTS ON VETERANS. (JUN 2020)
I.57 52.222-40 NOTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEE RIGHTS UNDER THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS
ACT. (DEC 2010)
I.58 52.222-50 COMBATING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS. (NOV 2021)
I.59 52.222-54 EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION. (MAY 2022)
I.60 52.223-6 DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE. (MAY 2001)
I.61 52.223-18 ENCOURAGING CONTRACTOR POLICIES TO BAN TEXT MESSAGING WHILE DRIVING.
(JUN 2020)
I.62 52.225-13 RESTRICTIONS ON CERTAIN FOREIGN PURCHASES. (FEB 2021)
I.63 52.227-1 AUTHORIZATION AND CONSENT. (JUN 2020) -- ALTERNATE I (APR 1984)
I.64 52.227-2 NOTICE AND ASSISTANCE REGARDING PATENT AND COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.
(JUN 2020)
I.65 52.227-10 FILING OF PATENT APPLICATIONS - CLASSIFIED SUBJECT MATTER. (DEC 2007)
I.66 52.227-11 PATENT RIGHTS-OWNERSHIP BY THE CONTRACTOR. (MAY 2014)
(j) Communications.[Complete according to agency instructions.]
I.67 52.228-7 INSURANCE - LIABILITY TO THIRD PERSONS. (MAR 1996)
I.68 52.229-3 FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL TAXES. (FEB 2013)
I.69 52.230-2 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS. (JUN 2020)
I.70 52.230-5 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS - EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION. (JUN 2020)
I.71 52.230-6 ADMINISTRATION OF COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS. (JUN 2010)
I.72 52.232-2 PAYMENTS UNDER FIXED-PRICE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS. (APR
1984)
I.73 52.232-8 DISCOUNTS FOR PROMPT PAYMENT. (FEB 2002)
I.74 52.232-9 LIMITATION ON WITHHOLDING OF PAYMENTS. (APR 1984)
I.75 52.232-17 INTEREST. (MAY 2014)
I.76 52.232-20 LIMITATION OF COST. (APR 1984)
I.77 52.232-22 LIMITATION OF FUNDS. (APR 1984)
I.78 52.232-23 ASSIGNMENT OF CLAIMS. (MAY 2014)
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I.79 52.232-25 PROMPT PAYMENT. (JAN 2017)
I.80 52.232-25 PROMPT PAYMENT. (JAN 2017) - ALTERNATE I (FEB 2002)
I.81 52.232-32 PERFORMANCE-BASED PAYMENTS. (APR 2012)
(a) Amount of payments and limitations on payments. Subject to such other limitations and conditions as are
specified in this contract and this clause, the amount of payments and limitations on payments shall be specified in
the contract's description of the basis for payment.
(b) Contractor request for performance-based payment. The Contractor may submit requests for payment of
performance-based payments not more frequently than monthly, in a form and manner acceptable to the Contracting
Officer. Unless otherwise authorized by the Contracting Officer, all performance-based payments in any period for
which payment is being requested shall be included in a single request, appropriately itemized and totaled. The
Contractor's request shall contain the information and certification detailed in paragraphs (l) and (m) of this clause.
(c) Approval and payment of requests. (1) The Contractor shall not be entitled to payment of a request for
performance-based payment prior to successful accomplishment of the event or performance criterion for which
payment is requested. The Contracting Officer shall determine whether the event or performance criterion for which
payment is requested has been successfully accomplished in accordance with the terms of the contract. The
Contracting Officer may, at any time, require the Contractor to substantiate the successful performance of any event
or performance criterion which has been or is represented as being payable.
(2) A payment under this performance-based payment clause is a contract financing payment under the Prompt
Payment clause of this contract and not subject to the interest penalty provisions of the Prompt Payment Act. The
designated payment office will pay approved requests on the 30th day after receipt of the request for performance-
based payment by the designated payment office. However, the designated payment office is not required to provide
payment if the Contracting Officer requires substantiation as provided in paragraph (c)(1) of this clause, or inquires
into the status of an event or performance criterion, or into any of the conditions listed in paragraph (a) of this
clause, or into the Contractor certification. The payment period will not begin until the Contracting Officer approves
the request.
(3) The approval by the Contracting Officer of a request for performance-based payment does not constitute an
acceptance by the Government and does not excuse the Contractor from performance of obligations under this
contract.
(d) Liquidation of performance-based payments. (1) Performance-based finance amounts paid prior to payment for
delivery of an item shall be liquidated by deducting a percentage or a designated dollar amount from the delivery
payment. If the performance-based finance payments are on a delivery item basis, the liquidation amount for each
such line item shall be the percent of that delivery item price that was previously paid under performance-based
finance payments or the designated dollar amount. If the performance-based finance payments are on a whole
contract basis, liquidation shall be by either predesignated liquidation amounts or a liquidation percentage.
(2) If at any time the amount of payments under this contract exceeds any limitation in this contract, the Contractor
shall repay to the Government the excess. Unless otherwise determined by the Contracting Officer, such excess shall
be credited as a reduction in the unliquidated performance-based payment balance(s), after adjustment of invoice
payments and balances for any retroactive price adjustments.
(e) Reduction or suspension of performance-based payments. The Contracting Officer may reduce or suspend
performance-based payments, liquidate performance-based payments by deduction from any payment under the
contract, or take a combination of these actions after finding upon substantial evidence any of the following
conditions:
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(1) The Contractor failed to comply with any material requirement of this contract (which includes paragraphs (h)
and (i) of this clause).
(2) Performance of this contract is endangered by the Contractor's (i) failure to make progress or (ii) unsatisfactory
financial condition.
(3) The Contractor is delinquent in payment of any subcontractor or supplier under this contract in the ordinary
course of business.
(f) Title. (1) Title to the property described in this paragraph (f) shall vest in the Government. Vestiture shall be
immediately upon the date of the first performance-based payment under this contract, for property acquired or
produced before that date. Otherwise, vestiture shall occur when the property is or should have been allocable or
properly chargeable to this contract,
(2) Property, as used in this clause, includes all of the following described items acquired or produced by the
Contractor that are or should be allocable or properly chargeable to this contract under sound and generally accepted
accounting principles and practices:
(i) Parts, materials, inventories, and work in process;
(ii) Special tooling and special test equipment to which the Government is to acquire title;
(iii) Nondurable (i.e., noncapital) tools, jigs, dies, fixtures, molds, patterns, taps, gauges, test equipment and other
similar manufacturing aids, title to which would not be obtained as special tooling under subparagraph (f)(2)(ii) of
this clause; and
(iv) Drawings and technical data, to the extent the Contractor or subcontractors are required to deliver them to the
Government by other clauses of this contract.
(3) Although title to property is in the Government under this clause, other applicable clauses of this contract (e.g.,
the termination clauses) shall determine the handling and disposition of the property.
(4) The Contractor may sell any scrap resulting from production under this contract, without requesting the
Contracting Officer's approval, provided that any significant reduction in the value of the property to which the
Government has title under this clause is reported in writing to the Contracting Officer.
(5) In order to acquire for its own use or dispose of property to which title is vested in the Government under this
clause, the Contractor shall obtain the Contracting Officer's advance approval of the action and the terms. If
approved, the basis for payment (the events or performance criteria) to which the property is related shall be deemed
to be not in compliance with the terms of the contract and not payable (if the property is part of or needed for
performance), and the Contractor shall refund the related performance-based payments in accordance with
paragraph (d) of this clause.
(6) When the Contractor completes all of the obligations under this contract, including liquidation of all
performance-based payments, title shall vest in the Contractor for all property (or the proceeds thereof) not-
(i) Delivered to, and accepted by, the Government under this contract; or
(ii) Incorporated in supplies delivered to, and accepted by, the Government under this contract and to which title is
vested in the Government under this clause.
(7) The terms of this contract concerning liability for Government-furnished property shall not apply to property to
which the Government acquired title solely under this clause.
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(g) Risk of loss. Before delivery to and acceptance by the Government, the Contractor shall bear the risk of loss for
property, the title to which vests in the Government under this clause, except to the extent the Government expressly
assumes the risk. If any property is lost (see 45.101), the basis of payment (the events or performance criteria) to
which the property is related shall be deemed to be not in compliance with the terms of the contract and not payable
(if the property is part of or needed for performance), and the Contractor shall refund the related performance-based
payments in accordance with paragraph (d) of this clause.
(h) Records and controls. The Contractor shall maintain records and controls adequate for administration of this
clause. The Contractor shall have no entitlement to performance-based payments during any time the Contractor's
records or controls are determined by the Contracting Officer to be inadequate for administration of this clause.
(i) Reports and Government access. The Contractor shall promptly furnish reports, certificates, financial statements,
and other pertinent information requested by the Contracting Officer for the administration of this clause and to
determine that an event or other criterion prompting a financing payment has been successfully accomplished. The
Contractor shall give the Government reasonable opportunity to examine and verify the Contractor's records and to
examine and verify the Contractor's performance of this contract for administration of this clause.
(j) Special terms regarding default. If this contract is terminated under the Default clause, (1) the Contractor shall,
on demand, repay to the Government the amount of unliquidated performance-based payments, and (2) title shall
vest in the Contractor, on full liquidation of all performance-based payments, for all property for which the
Government elects not to require delivery under the Default clause of this contract. The Government shall be liable
for no payment except as provided by the Default clause.
(k) Reservation of rights. (1) No payment or vesting of title under this clause shall (i) excuse the Contractor from
performance of obligations under this contract or (ii) constitute a waiver of any of the rights or remedies of the
parties under the contract.
(2) The Government's rights and remedies under this clause (i) shall not be exclusive, but rather shall be in addition
to any other rights and remedies provided by law or this contract and (ii) shall not be affected by delayed, partial, or
omitted exercise of any right, remedy, power, or privilege, nor shall such exercise or any single exercise preclude or
impair any further exercise under this clause or the exercise of any other right, power, or privilege of the
Government.
(l) Content of Contractor's request for performance-based payment. The Contractor's request for performance-based
payment shall contain the following:
(1) The name and address of the Contractor;
(2) The date of the request for performance-based payment;
(3) The contract number and/or other identifier of the contract or order under which the request is made;
(4) Such information and documentation as is required by the contract's description of the basis for payment; and
(5) A certification by a Contractor official authorized to bind the Contractor, as specified in paragraph (m) of this
clause.
(m) Content of Contractor's certification. As required in paragraph (l)(5) of this clause, the Contractor shall make
the following certification in each request for performance-based payment:
I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief that-
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(1) This request for performance-based payment is true and correct; this request (and attachments) has been prepared
from the books and records of the Contractor, in accordance with the contract and the instructions of the Contracting
Officer;
(2) (Except as reported in writing on __________), all payments to subcontractors and suppliers under this contract
have been paid, or will be paid, currently, when due in the ordinary course of business;
(3) There are no encumbrances (except as reported in writing on _________) against the property acquired or
produced for, and allocated or properly chargeable to, the contract which would affect or impair the Government's
title;
(4) There has been no materially adverse change in the financial condition of the Contractor since the submission by
the Contractor to the Government of the most recent written information dated _____________; and
(5) After the making of this requested performance-based payment, the amount of all payments for each deliverable
item for which performance-based payments have been requested will not exceed any limitation in the contract, and
the amount of all payments under the contract will not exceed any limitation in the contract.
(End of clause)
I.82 52.232-33 PAYMENT BY ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER - SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT.
(OCT 2018)
I.83 52.232-39 UNENFORCEABILITY OF UNAUTHORIZED OBLIGATIONS. (JUN 2013)
I.84 52.232-40 PROVIDING ACCELERATED PAYMENTS TO SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTORS.
(MAR 2023)
I.85 52.233-1 DISPUTES. (MAY 2014)
I.86 52.233-3 PROTEST AFTER AWARD. (AUG 1996)
I.87 52.233-3 PROTEST AFTER AWARD. (AUG 1996) - ALTERNATE I (JUN 1985)
I.88 52.233-4 APPLICABLE LAW FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT CLAIM. (OCT 2004)
I.89 52.239-1 PRIVACY OR SECURITY SAFEGUARDS. (AUG 1996)
I.90 52.242-1 NOTICE OF INTENT TO DISALLOW COSTS. (APR 1984)
I.91 52.242-3 PENALTIES FOR UNALLOWABLE COSTS. (DEC 2022)
I.92 52.242-13 BANKRUPTCY. (JUL 1995)
I.93 52.243-1 CHANGES - FIXED-PRICE. (AUG 1987)
I.94 52.243-2 CHANGES - COST-REIMBURSEMENT. (AUG 1987) - ALTERNATE V (APR 1984)
I.95 52.243-3 CHANGES - TIME-AND-MATERIALS OR LABOR-HOURS. (SEP 2000)
I.96 52.243-7 NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES. (JAN 2017)
(b) Notice. The primary purpose of this clause is to obtain prompt reporting of Government conduct that the
Contractor considers to constitute a change to this contract. Except for changes identified as such in writing and
signed by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall notify the Administrative Contracting Officer in writing
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promptly, within 2 (to be negotiated) calendar days from the date that the Contractor identifies any Government
conduct (including actions, inactions, and written or oral communications) that the Contractor regards as a change to
the contract terms and conditions. On the basis of the most accurate information available to the Contractor, the
notice shall state-
(d) Government response. The Contracting Officer shall promptly, within 5 (to be negotiated) calendar days after
receipt of notice, respond to the notice in writing. In responding, the Contracting Officer shall either-
I.97 52.244-2 SUBCONTRACTS. (JUN 2020)
(d) If the Contractor has an approved purchasing system, the Contractor nevertheless shall obtain the Contracting
Officer's written consent before placing the following subcontracts: [ ]
(j) Paragraphs (c) and (e) of this clause do not apply to the following subcontracts, which were evaluated during
negotiations: [ ]
I.98 52.244-5 COMPETITION IN SUBCONTRACTING. (AUG 2024)
I.99 52.244-6 SUBCONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES. (NOV
2024)
I.100 52.245-1 GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. (SEP 2021)
I.101 52.245-1 GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. (SEP 2021) - ALTERNATE I (APR 2012)
I.102 52.245-1 GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. (SEP 2021) - ALTERNATE II (APR 2012)
I.103 52.249-1 TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT (FIXED-PRICE) (SHORT
FORM). (APR 1984)
I.104 52.249-5 TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT (EDUCATIONAL AND
OTHER NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS). (AUG 2016)
I.105 52.249-6 TERMINATION (COST-REIMBURSEMENT). (MAY 2004)
I.106 52.249-9 DEFAULT (FIXED-PRICE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT). (APR 1984)
I.107 52.249-14 EXCUSABLE DELAYS. (APR 1984)
I.108 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. (FEB 1998)
This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in
full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may
be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): www.acquisition.gov
(End of clause)
I.109 52.252-6 AUTHORIZED DEVIATIONS IN CLAUSES. (NOV 2020)
(a) The use in this solicitation or contract of any Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR Chapter 1) clause with an
authorized deviation is indicated by the addition of (DEVIATION) after the date of the clause.
(b) The use in this solicitation or contract of any [insert regulation name] (48 CFR [ ]) clause with an authorized
deviation is indicated by the addition of (DEVIATION) after the name of the regulation.
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(End of clause)
I.110 52.253-1 COMPUTER GENERATED FORMS. (JAN 1991)
I.111 252.201-7000 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE. (DEC 1991)
I.112 252.203-7000 REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO COMPENSATION OF FORMER DOD OFFICIALS.
(SEP 2011)
I.113 252.203-7001 PROHIBITION ON PERSONS CONVICTED OF FRAUD OR OTHER DEFENSE-
CONTRACT-RELATED FELONIES. (JAN 2023)
I.114 252.203-7002 REQUIREMENT TO INFORM EMPLOYEES OF WHISTLEBLOWER RIGHTS. (DEC
2022)
I.115 252.204-7000 DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION. (OCT 2016)
I.116 252.204-7002 PAYMENT FOR CONTRACT LINE OR SUBLINE ITEMS NOT SEPARATELY PRICED.
(APR 2020)
I.117 252.204-7003 CONTROL OF GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL WORK PRODUCT. (APR 1992)
I.118 252.204-7004 ANTITERRORISM AWARENESS TRAINING FOR CONTRACTORS. (JAN 2023)
I.119 252.204-7009 LIMITATIONS ON THE USE OR DISCLOSURE OF THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTOR
REPORTED CYBER INCIDENT INFORMATION. (JAN 2023)
(a) Definitions. As used in this clause-
Compromise means disclosure of information to unauthorized persons, or a violation of the security policy of a
system, in which unauthorized intentional or unintentional disclosure, modification, destruction, or loss of an object,
or the copying of information to unauthorized media may have occurred.
Controlled technical information means technical information with military or space application that is subject to
controls on the access, use, reproduction, modification, performance, display, release, disclosure, or dissemination.
Controlled technical information would meet the criteria, if disseminated, for distribution statements B through F
using the criteria set forth in DoD Instruction 5230.24, Distribution Statements on Technical Documents. The term
does not include information that is lawfully publicly available without restrictions.
Covered defense information means unclassified controlled technical information or other information (as described
in the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Registry at http://www.archives.gov/cui/registry/category-
list.html) that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls pursuant to and consistent with law, regulations, and
Governmentwide policies, and is-
(1) Marked or otherwise identified in the contract, task order, or delivery order and provided to the contractor by or
on behalf of DoD in support of the performance of the contract; or
(2) Collected, developed, received, transmitted, used, or stored by or on behalf of the contractor in support of the
performance of the contract.
Cyber incident means actions taken through the use of computer networks that result in a compromise or an actual or
potentially adverse effect on an information system and/or the information residing therein.
Information system means a discrete set of information resources organized for the collection, processing,
maintenance, use, sharing, dissemination, or disposition of information.
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Media means physical devices or writing surfaces including, but is not limited to, magnetic tapes, optical disks,
magnetic disks, large-scale integration memory chips, and printouts onto which covered defense information is
recorded, stored, or printed within a covered contractor information system.
Technical information means technical data or computer software, as those terms are defined in the clause at
DFARS 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data-Other Than Commercial Products and Commercial Services,
regardless of whether or not the clause is incorporated in this solicitation or contract. Examples of technical
information include research and engineering data, engineering drawings, and associated lists, specifications,
standards, process sheets, manuals, technical reports, technical orders, catalog-item identifications, data sets, studies
and analyses and related information, and computer software executable code and source code.
(b) Restrictions. The Contractor agrees that the following conditions apply to any information it receives or creates
in the performance of this contract that is information obtained from a third-party's reporting of a cyber incident
pursuant to DFARS clause 252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting
(or derived from such information obtained under that clause):
(1) The Contractor shall access and use the information only for the purpose of furnishing advice or technical
assistance directly to the Government in support of the Government's activities related to clause 252.204-7012, and
shall not be used for any other purpose.
(2) The Contractor shall protect the information against unauthorized release or disclosure.
(3) The Contractor shall ensure that its employees are subject to use and non-disclosure obligations consistent with
this clause prior to the employees being provided access to or use of the information.
(4) The third-party contractor that reported the cyber incident is a third-party beneficiary of the non-disclosure
agreement between the Government and Contractor, as required by paragraph (b)(3) of this clause.
(5) A breach of these obligations or restrictions may subject the Contractor to-
(i) Criminal, civil, administrative, and contractual actions in law and equity for penalties, damages, and other
appropriate remedies by the United States; and
(ii) Civil actions for damages and other appropriate remedies by the third party that reported the cyber incident, as a
third party beneficiary of this clause.
(c) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall include this clause, including this paragraph (c), in subcontracts, or similar
contractual instruments, for services that include support for the Government's activities related to safeguarding
covered defense information and cyber incident reporting, including subcontracts for commercial products and
commercial services, without alteration, except to identify the parties.
(End of clause)
I.120 252.204-7012 SAFEGUARDING COVERED DEFENSE INFORMATION AND CYBER INCIDENT
REPORTING. (MAY 2024)
I.121 252.204-7015 NOTICE OF AUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION FOR LITIGATION
SUPPORT. (JAN 2023)
I.122 252.205-7000 PROVISION OF INFORMATION TO COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT HOLDERS. (OCT
2024)
I.123 252.209-7004 SUBCONTRACTING WITH FIRMS THAT ARE OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY THE
GOVERNMENT OF A COUNTRY THAT IS A STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM. (MAY 2019)
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I.124 252.215-7002 COST ESTIMATING SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS. (DEC 2012)
I.125 252.223-7006 PROHIBITION ON STORAGE, TREATMENT, AND DISPOSAL OF TOXIC OR
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. (SEP 2014)
I.126 252.225-7012 PREFERENCE FOR CERTAIN DOMESTIC COMMODITIES. (APR 2022)
I.127 252.225-7048 EXPORT-CONTROLLED ITEMS. (JUN 2013)
I.128 252.226-7001 UTILIZATION OF INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS, INDIAN-OWNED ECONOMIC
ENTERPRISES, AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS. (JAN 2023)
(a) Definitions. As used in this clause-
Indian means-
(1) Any person who is a member of any Indian tribe, band, group, pueblo, or community that is recognized by the
Federal Government as eligible for services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in accordance with 25 U.S.C.
1452(c); and
(2) Any "Native" as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
Indian organization means the governing body of any Indian tribe or entity established or recognized by the
governing body of an Indian tribe for the purposes of 25 U.S.C. chapter 17.
Indian-owned economic enterprise means any Indian-owned (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior)
commercial, industrial, or business activity established or organized for the purpose of profit, provided that Indian
ownership constitutes not less than 51 percent of the enterprise.
Indian tribe means any Indian tribe, band, group, pueblo, or community, including native villages and native groups
(including corporations organized by Kenai, Juneau, Sitka, and Kodiak) as defined in the Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act, that is recognized by the Federal Government as eligible for services from BIA in accordance with
25 U.S.C. 1452(c).
Interested party means a contractor or an actual or prospective offeror whose direct economic interest would be
affected by the award of a subcontract or by the failure to award a subcontract.
Native Hawaiian small business concern means an entity that is-
(1) A small business concern as defined in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632) and relevant
implementing regulations; and
(2) Owned and controlled by a Native Hawaiian as defined in 25 U.S.C. 4221(9).
(b) The Contractor shall use its best efforts to give Indian organizations, Indian-owned economic enterprises, and
Native Hawaiian small business concerns the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in the subcontracts it
awards, to the fullest extent consistent with efficient performance of the contract.
(c) The Contracting Officer and the Contractor, acting in good faith, may rely on the representation of an Indian
organization, Indian-owned economic enterprise, or Native Hawaiian small business concern as to its eligibility,
unless an interested party challenges its status or the Contracting Officer has independent reason to question that
status.
(d) In the event of a challenge to the representation of a subcontractor, the Contracting Officer will refer the matter
to-
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UNCLASSIFIED
(1)(i) For matters relating to Indian organizations or Indian-owned economic enterprises:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Attn: Bureau Procurement Chief, 12220 Sunrise Valley
Drive, Reston, VA 20191, Phone: 703-390-6433, Website: https://www.bia.gov/.
(ii) The BIA will determine the eligibility and will notify the Contracting Officer.
(2)(i) For matters relating to Native Hawaiian small business concerns:
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, P.O. Box 1879, Honolulu, HI 96805, Phone: 808-620-9500, Website:
http://dhhl.hawaii.gov/.
(ii) The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands will determine the eligibility and will notify the Contracting Officer.
(e) No incentive payment will be made-
(1) While a challenge is pending; or
(2) If a subcontractor is determined to be an ineligible participant.
(f)(1) The Contractor, on its own behalf or on behalf of a subcontractor at any tier, may request an incentive
payment in accordance with this clause.
(2) The incentive amount that may be requested is 5 percent of the estimated cost, target cost, or fixed price included
in the subcontract at the time of award to the Indian organization, Indian-owned economic enterprise, or Native
Hawaiian small business concern.
(3) In the case of a subcontract for commercial products or commercial services, the Contractor may receive an
incentive payment only if the subcontracted items are produced or manufactured in whole or in part by an Indian
organization, Indian-owned economic enterprise, or Native Hawaiian small business concern.
(4) The Contractor has the burden of proving the amount claimed and shall assert its request for an incentive
payment prior to completion of contract performance.
(5) The Contracting Officer, subject to the terms and conditions of the contract and the availability of funds, will
authorize an incentive payment of 5 percent of the estimated cost, target cost, or fixed price included in the
subcontract awarded to the Indian organization, Indian-owned economic enterprise, or Native Hawaiian small
business concern.
(6) If the Contractor requests and receives an incentive payment on behalf of a subcontractor, the Contractor is
obligated to pay the subcontractor the incentive amount.
(g) The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (g), in all subcontracts
exceeding $500,000.
I.129 252.227-7011 ASSIGNMENTS. (AUG 1984)
The Contractor hereby conveys to the Government, as represented by the Secretary of [ ], the entire right, title, and
interest in and to the following patents (and applications for patent), in and to the inventions thereof, and in and to
all claims and demands whatsoever for infringement thereof heretofore accrued, the same to be held and enjoyed by
the Government through its duly appointed representatives to the full end of the term of said patents (and to the full
end of the terms of all patents which may be granted upon said applications for patent, or upon any division,
continuation-in-part or continuation thereof):
U.S. Patent No. [ ]
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UNCLASSIFIED
Date [ ]
Name of Inventor [ ]
U.S. Application Serial No. [ ]
Filing Date [ ]
Name of Inventor [ ]
I.130 252.227-7013 RIGHTS IN TECHNICAL DATA-OTHER THAN COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND
COMMERCIAL SERVICES. (MAR 2023)
I.131 252.227-7014 RIGHTS IN OTHER THAN COMMERCIAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE AND OTHER
THAN COMMERCIAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE DOCUMENTATION. (MAR 2023)
I.132 252.227-7015 TECHNICAL DATA-COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES.
(MAR 2023)
I.133 252.227-7016 RIGHTS IN BID OR PROPOSAL INFORMATION. (JAN 2023)
I.134 252.227-7019 VALIDATION OF ASSERTED RESTRICTIONS-COMPUTER SOFTWARE. (JAN 2023)
I.135 252.227-7025 LIMITATIONS ON THE USE OR DISCLOSURE OF GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED
INFORMATION MARKED WITH RESTRICTIVE LEGENDS. (JAN 2023)
I.136 252.227-7026 DEFERRED DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL DATA OR COMPUTER SOFTWARE. (APR
1988)
I.137 252.227-7027 DEFERRED ORDERING OF TECHNICAL DATA OR COMPUTER SOFTWARE. (APR
1988)
I.138 252.227-7030 TECHNICAL DATA - WITHHOLDING OF PAYMENT. (MAR 2000)
I.139 252.227-7037 VALIDATION OF RESTRICTIVE MARKINGS ON TECHNICAL DATA. (JAN 2023)
I.140 252.227-7038 PATENT RIGHTS - OWNERSHIP BY THE CONTRACTOR (LARGE BUSINESS). (JUN
2012)
I.141 252.227-7039 PATENTS - REPORTING OF SUBJECT INVENTIONS. (APR 1990)
I.142 252.231-7000 SUPPLEMENTAL COST PRINCIPLES. (DEC 1991)
I.143 252.232-7003 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS AND RECEIVING REPORTS.
(DEC 2018)
I.144 252.232-7010 LEVIES ON CONTRACT PAYMENTS. (DEC 2006)
I.145 252.232-7012 PERFORMANCE-BASED PAYMENTS-WHOLE-CONTRACT BASIS. (DEC 2022)
(a) Performance-based payments shall form the basis for the contract financing payments provided under this
contract, and shall apply to the whole contract. The performance-based payments schedule (Contract Attachment [ ])
describes the basis for payment, to include identification of the individual payment events, evidence of completion,
and amount of payment due upon completion of each event.
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(b) In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 3802(c), the Contractor's financial statements shall be in compliance with
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in order to receive performance-based payments.
(c)(1) The Contractor shall, in addition to providing the information required by FAR 52.232-32, submit information
for all payment requests using the following format:
Current performance-based payment(s) event(s) addressed by this request:
Contractor shall identify- Amount Totals
(1)(a) Negotiated value of all previously completed
performance-based payment(s) event(s);
(1)(b) Negotiated value of the current performance-based
payment(s) event(s);
(1)(c) Cumulative negotiated value of performance-based
payment(s) event(s) completed to date (1a) + (1b); and
(2) Total costs incurred to date;
(2) Incurred cost is determined by the Contractor's accounting books and records, to which the Contractor shall
provide access upon request of the Contracting Officer. An acceptable accounting system in accordance with
DFARS 252.242-7006 is not required for reporting of incurred costs under this clause. If the Contractor's accounting
system is not capable of tracking costs on a job order basis, the Contractor shall provide a realistic approximation of
the allocation of incurred costs attributable to this contract in accordance with the Contractor's accounting system.
FAR 52.232-32(m) does not require certification of incurred costs.
(d) Security for financing. (1) Title to the property described in paragraph (f) of the clause at FAR 52.232-32,
Performance-Based Payments, is the preferred security for receipt of performance-based payments.
(2)(i) If the Contractor's accounting system is not capable of identifying and tracking through the build cycle the
property that is allocable and properly chargeable to this contract, the Contracting Officer may consider acceptance
of one or a combination of the following alternative forms of security sufficient to constitute adequate security for
the performance-based payments and so specify in the contract, consistent with FAR 32.202-4:
(A) A paramount lien on assets.
(B) An irrevocable letter of credit from a federally insured financial institution.
(C) A bond from a surety, acceptable in accordance with FAR part 28.
(D) A guarantee of repayment from a person or corporation of demonstrated liquid net worth, connected by
significant ownership interest to the Contractor.
(E) Title to identified Contractor assets of adequate worth.
(ii) Paragraph (f) of the clause at FAR 52.232-32 does not apply to the extent that the Contractor and the Contracting
Officer agree on alternative forms of security. In the event the Contractor fails to provide adequate security, as
required in this contract, no financing payment will be made under this contract. Upon receipt of adequate security,
financing payments will be made, including all previous payments to which the Contractor is entitled, in accordance
with the terms of the provisions for contract financing. If at any time the Contracting Officer determines that the
security provided by the Contractor is insufficient, the Contractor shall promptly provide such additional security as
the Contracting Officer determines necessary. In the event the Contractor fails to provide such additional security,
the Contracting Officer may collect or liquidate such security that has been provided and suspend further payments
to the Contractor; and the Contractor shall repay to the Government the amount of unliquidated financing payments
as the Contracting Officer at his sole discretion deems repayable.
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(End of clause)
I.146 252.235-7002 ANIMAL WELFARE. (DEC 2014)
I.147 252.235-7004 PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS. (JUL 2009)
I.148 252.235-7010 ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SUPPORT AND DISCLAIMER. (MAY 1995)
I.149 252.235-7011 FINAL SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL REPORT. (DEC 2019)
I.150 252.239-7018 SUPPLY CHAIN RISK. (DEC 2022)
I.151 252.242-7004 MATERIAL MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM. (MAY 2011)
I.152 252.242-7005 CONTRACTOR BUSINESS SYSTEMS. (FEB 2012)
I.153 252.242-7006 ACCOUNTING SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION. (FEB 2012)
I.154 252.243-7001 PRICING OF CONTRACT MODIFICATIONS. (DEC 1991)
I.155 252.243-7002 REQUESTS FOR EQUITABLE ADJUSTMENT. (DEC 2022)
I.156 252.244-7000 SUBCONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OR COMMERCIAL SERVICES.
(NOV 2023)
I.157 252.244-7001 CONTRACTOR PURCHASING SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION. (MAY 2014)
I.158 252.245-7000 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED MAPPING, CHARTING, AND GEODESY PROPERTY.
(APR 2012)
I.159 252.245-7003 CONTRACTOR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION. (APR 2012)
I.160 52.203-16 PREVENTING PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST (JUN 2020)
(a) Definitions. As used in this clause-
Acquisition function closely associated with inherently governmental functions means supporting or providing
advice or recommendations with regard to the following activities of a Federal agency:
(1) Planning acquisitions.
(2) Determining what supplies or services are to be acquired by the Government, including developing statements of
work.
(3) Developing or approving any contractual documents, to include documents defining requirements, incentive
plans, and evaluation criteria.
(4) Evaluating contract proposals.
(5) Awarding Government contracts.
(6) Administering contracts (including ordering changes or giving technical direction in contract performance or
contract quantities, evaluating contractor performance, and accepting or rejecting contractor products or services).
(7) Terminating contracts.
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(8) Determining whether contract costs are reasonable, allocable, and allowable.
Covered employee means an individual who performs an acquisition function closely associated with inherently
governmental functions and is-
(1) An employee of the contractor; or
(2) A subcontractor that is a self-employed individual treated as a covered employee of the contractor because there
is no employer to whom such an individual could submit the required disclosures.
Non-public information means any Government or third-party information that-
(1) Is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) or otherwise protected from
disclosure by statute, Executive order, or regulation; or
(2) Has not been disseminated to the general public and the Government has not yet determined whether the
information can or will be made available to the public.
Personal conflict of interest means a situation in which a covered employee has a financial interest, personal activity,
or relationship that could impair the employee's ability to act impartially and in the best interest of the Government
when performing under the contract. (A de minimis interest that would not "impair the employee's ability to act
impartially and in the best interest of the Government" is not covered under this definition.)
(1) Among the sources of personal conflicts of interest are-
(i) Financial interests of the covered employee, of close family members, or of other members of the covered
employee's household;
(ii) Other employment or financial relationships (including seeking or negotiating for prospective employment or
business); and
(iii) Gifts, including travel.
(2) For example, financial interests referred to in paragraph (1) of this definition may arise from-
(i) Compensation, including wages, salaries, commissions, professional fees, or fees for business referrals;
(ii) Consulting relationships (including commercial and professional consulting and service arrangements, scientific
and technical advisory board memberships, or serving as an expert witness in litigation);
(iii) Services provided in exchange for honorariums or travel expense reimbursements;
(iv) Research funding or other forms of research support;
(v) Investment in the form of stock or bond ownership or partnership interest (excluding diversified mutual fund
investments);
(vi) Real estate investments;
(vii) Patents, copyrights, and other intellectual property interests; or
(viii) Business ownership and investment interests.
(b) Requirements. The Contractor shall-
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(1) Have procedures in place to screen covered employees for potential personal conflicts of interest, by-
(i) Obtaining and maintaining from each covered employee, when the employee is initially assigned to the task
under the contract, a disclosure of interests that might be affected by the task to which the employee has been
assigned, as follows:
(A) Financial interests of the covered employee, of close family members, or of other members of the covered
employee's household.
(B) Other employment or financial relationships of the covered employee (including seeking or negotiating for
prospective employment or business).
(C) Gifts, including travel; and
(ii) Requiring each covered employee to update the disclosure statement whenever the employee's personal or
financial circumstances change in such a way that a new personal conflict of interest might occur because of the task
the covered employee is performing.
(2) For each covered employee-
(i) Prevent personal conflicts of interest, including not assigning or allowing a covered employee to perform any
task under the contract for which the Contractor has identified a personal conflict of interest for the employee that
the Contractor or employee cannot satisfactorily prevent or mitigate in consultation with the contracting agency;
(ii) Prohibit use of non-public information accessed through performance of a Government contract for personal
gain; and
(iii) Obtain a signed non-disclosure agreement to prohibit disclosure of non-public information accessed through
performance of a Government contract.
(3) Inform covered employees of their obligation-
(i) To disclose and prevent personal conflicts of interest;
(ii) Not to use non-public information accessed through performance of a Government contract for personal gain;
and
(iii) To avoid even the appearance of personal conflicts of interest;
(4) Maintain effective oversight to verify compliance with personal conflict-of-interest safeguards;
(5) Take appropriate disciplinary action in the case of covered employees who fail to comply with policies
established pursuant to this clause; and
(6) Report to the Contracting Officer any personal conflict-of-interest violation by a covered employee as soon as it
is identified. This report shall include a description of the violation and the proposed actions to be taken by the
Contractor in response to the violation. Provide follow-up reports of corrective actions taken, as necessary. Personal
conflict-of-interest violations include-
(i) Failure by a covered employee to disclose a personal conflict of interest;
(ii) Use by a covered employee of non-public information accessed through performance of a Government contract
for personal gain; and
(iii) Failure of a covered employee to comply with the terms of a non-disclosure agreement.
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(c) Mitigation or waiver. (1) In exceptional circumstances, if the Contractor cannot satisfactorily prevent a personal
conflict of interest as required by paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this clause, the Contractor may submit a request through the
Contracting Officer to the Head of the Contracting Activity for-
(i) Agreement to a plan to mitigate the personal conflict of interest; or
(ii) A waiver of the requirement.
(2) The Contractor shall include in the request any proposed mitigation of the personal conflict of interest.
(3) The Contractor shall-
(i) Comply, and require compliance by the covered employee, with any conditions imposed by the Government as
necessary to mitigate the personal conflict of interest; or
(ii) Remove the Contractor employee or subcontractor employee from performance of the contract or terminate the
applicable subcontract.
(d) Subcontract flowdown. The Contractor shall include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (d), in
subcontracts-
(1) That exceed the simplified acquisition threshold; and
(2) In which subcontractor employees will perform acquisition functions closely associated with inherently
governmental functions (i.e., instead of performance only by a self-employed individual).
(End of clause)
I.161 5X252.204-7000-90 PUBLIC RELEASE OF INFORMATION (MAR 2023)
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this clause, information pertaining to this contract shall not be released to
the public unless authorized by the Contracting Officer in accordance with DFARS 252.204-7000, Disclosure of
Information. Requests for approval to release information pertaining to this contract (other than past performance)
shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer by means of NGA Form 5230-1, National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency Request for Clearance for Public Release.
(b) The contractor may provide past performance information regarding this contract, without completing an NGA
Form 5230-1 and without Contracting Officer approval when submission of such information is to the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Reconnaissance
Office (NRO), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and NGA to support
source selections at those agencies. The contractor is responsible for the proper classification and handling of such
information and shall provide a copy of the information submitted to other agencies to the Contracting Officer.
(End of clause)
I.162 5X52.219-9002 SMALL BUSINESS GOAL (NOV 2013)
(a)The magnitude of this contract may require businesses to team, partner, and/or subcontract with other business
concerns large and small. The Government has set a small business subcontracting goal of TOPIC CALL
DEPENDENT % of total contract dollars. All large business contractors will be expected to meet and maintain their
approved subcontracting goals through the life of the contract in accordance with applicable statutory and regulatory
requirements.
(b)Data regarding each large business contractor's small business subcontractor performance shall be provided as
follows:
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(1) After contract award, large business contractors shall submit data (See paragraph (2)) that identifies the small
business subcontractors and work that has been awarded to them in accordance with FAR Part 52.219-9(d)(10)(ii).
(2) The NGA Program Small Business Performance slide (see template in NARI Part 5X53 - Forms) in Section J
shall be submitted during the Program Management Review and based on the approved small business
subcontracting plan that is a material requirement of this contract.
(End of Clause)
I.163 5X52.227-9000 UNAUTHORIZED USE OF NGA NAME, SEAL AND INITIALS (JUN 2006)
(a) As provide in 10 U.S.C. Section 425, no person may, except with the written permission of both the Secretary of
Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, knowingly use the words "National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency", "National Imagery and Mapping Agency", or "Defense Mapping Agency," the initials "NGA", "NIMA",
or "DMA," the seal of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, or the
Defense Mapping Agency, or any colorable imitation of such words, initials, or seal in connection with any
merchandise, retail product, impersonation, solicitation, or commercial activity in a manner reasonably calculated to
convey the impression that such use is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Secretary of Defense and the
Director of Central Intelligence.
(b) Whenever it appears to the U.S. Attorney General that any person is engaged or about to engage in an act or
practice which constitutes or will constitute conduct prohibited by paragraph (a), the Attorney General may initiate a
civil proceeding in a district court of the United States to enjoin such act or practice. Such court shall proceed as
soon as practicable to hearing and determination of such action and may, at any time before final determination,
enter restraining orders or prohibitions, or take such other action as is warranted, to prevent injury to the United
States, or to any person or class of persons for whose protection the action is brought.
(End of Clause)
I.164 5X52.227-9001 ACTIVITIES THAT AFFECT U.S. PERSONS (NOV 2016)
This contract is sponsored by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. All work and services to be performed
hereunder shall be in strict compliance with procedures set forth in DoDM 5240.01.
(End of Clause)
I.165 5X52.235-9001 COMPTROLLER GENERAL ACCESS TO RECORDS (JUL 2001)
The Comptroller General, at its discretion, shall have access to and the right to examine records of any party to this
agreement or any entity that participates in the performance of this agreement that directly pertains to, and involved
transactions relating to, the agreement.
Excepted from this requirement is any party to this agreement or any entity that participates in the performance of
the agreement, or any subordinate element of such party or entity, that has not entered into any other agreement
(contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or "other transaction") that provides for audit access by a government entity
in the year prior to the date of the agreement.
This clause shall not be construed to require any party or entity, or any subordinate element of such party or entity
that participates in the performance of the agreement, to create or maintain any record that is not otherwise
maintained in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to a provision of law.
The Comptroller General shall have access to these records until three years after the date the final payment is made
by the United States.
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The recipient of the agreement shall flow down this provision to any entity that participates in the performance of
the agreement.
Local Prescription:
1. All Agreement Officers shall include the enclosed clause that provides access by the Comptroller General to
records that directly pertain to other transactions for prototype solicitations and agreements awarded under the
authority of 10 U.S.C. 2371. This clause is required only for those agreements in which the total government
payments are in excess of $5,000,000.
2. However, if a contractor or member of a consortium being awarded the other transaction for prototype agreement
has not entered into a contract, grant, cooperative agreement or other transaction agreement that contains such an
audit clause within the year prior to the date of the prototype agreement, there is no requirement for the audit clause.
3. This requirement may be waived by the head of the contracting activity if it is determined that it would not be in
the public interest to apply the requirement to the agreement. If the requirement is waived, a notification must be
transmitted to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House Representatives, the Comptroller
General, and the Director, Defense Procurement prior to execution of the agreement.
4. The Agreement Officer must notify the head of the contracting activity of any situations in which (a) companies
refuse to enter into agreements as a result of the inclusion of the subject clause) or (b) the clause restricted NIMA's
access to companies that typically do not do business with the Department of Defense.
(End of Clause)
I.166 5X52.37-9000 CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE DATA FOR ACCESS TO NGA FACILITIES OR SENSITIVE
SYSTEMS (OCT 2005)
1. This clause defines the contractor's responsibilities for providing accurate contractor data, and providing updates
to that data, for NGA's Human Capital Management System (HCMS). NGA requires that all contractors provide
initial and timely updates to HCMS data for all personnel performing under this contract who have access to NGA
facilities or sensitive systems, as determined by the contracting officer.
2. The Contractor shall:
a. Provide the Contracting Officers Representative (COR) a Point of Contact (POC) for providing and maintaining
contractor personnel data for the HCMS database. The POC shall be provided to the COR, in writing, within 10 days
of contract award (or modification inserting this clause). For contracts with an on-site Project Lead or Program
Manager, this person shall serve as the POC.
b. Provide the COR initial HCMS data for their personnel within 10 days of contract award or modification. The
information that is to be provided for HCMS shall include: persons full legal name, social security number,
citizenship status, NGA contract number, prime contractor name, NGA location and organization where the person
will be working, and a 24/7 emergency contact point for the contractor.
c. Notify the COR of all contractor data changes within 10 days of the change. Changes include new or departing
contractor personnel and any change to information provided in paragraph b above. If the contract number under
which a contractor or its personnel work changes, the POC for the contract receiving the personnel shall notify the
COR within 10 days of the change.
d. Provide response to all inquiries made by NGA as to the validity and completeness of contractor data records in
the HCMS database within two weeks of date of request.
e. Ensure all employees attend in-processing and out-processing briefings.
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(End of Clause)
I.167 5X52.237-9001 CONTRACTOR IDENTIFICATION (JAN 2012)
The contractor shall ensure that contractor personnel, including their sub-contractor personnel, identify themselves
as contractor personnel, by introducing themselves or being introduced as contractor personnel when:
(1) attending meetings with Government personnel or contractors performing under a contract awarded to support
NGA requirements,
(2) answering government telephones,
(3) providing any type of written or electronic mail correspondence, and
(4) working in any other situation where their actions could be construed as an official Government act or
representation of the Government.
The contractor shall ensure that contractor personnel possess and properly display Government-issued identification
badges when on NGA property or when attending NGA meetings not located on NGA property.
The contractor will ensure that contractor personnel, when performing in a contractor capacity, refrain from using
their retired or reserve component military rank or title in all written and verbal communications.
The Government may include the results of the contractor's ability to adhere to this clause in quality assurance
surveillance plans and award fee plans as part of the overall administration of this contract.
(End of Clause)
I.168 5X52.239-9001 GEOINT STANDARDS AND PROFILE IMPLEMENTATION/COMPLIANCE FOR A
NEW PROGRAM (HEREAFTER REFERRED TO AS NPX) (DEC 2011)
(a) The Contractor shall engage in a collaborative/iterative process with NGA [specifically the National Center for
Geospatial Intelligence Standards (NCGIS) and the NGA Architecture and Standards Board's (NASB) Integrated
Architecture Working Group (IAWG)], to identify and assess standards selected from NSG Enterprise Architecture
Standards Views (StdV-1 and StdV-2) in order to implement mandated
standards through the use of Capability Standards Profiles (CSP) for the specific GEOINT capability being
delivered.
(b) The Contractor shall review NSG StdV-1 and StdV-2 updates for new and emerging standards annually, in
accordance with DOD IT Standards Registry (DISR)/IC Standards Registry (ICSR) mandated baselines, which may
impact the NPX CSP. This
assessment shall include cost data, interoperability factors and developer recommendations which will be provided
during scheduled program reviews established by Program Management.
(c) The Contractor shall use, reuse and/or extend existing mandated or emerging GEOINT standards and profiles
where such use/reuse benefits interoperability and supports cost, schedule, and performance measures. Only where
existing standards fail to meet a specific functionality supporting the program's desired capability may the
Contractor recommend alternative standards to be followed in the NPX CSP design. These recommendations will
include supporting rationale, drawing on the contractor's knowledge of applicable industry standards, other
standards cited in the DISR, ICSR/IC Enterprise Registry and Repository (ER2), or evolving/emerging community
standards.
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(d) The Contractor shall submit waivers through the Program Manager to the NASB when selecting/implementing
standards inconsistent with NGA's StdV-1 and/or those prescribed in DISR/ICSR/ER2, and may be required to brief
the government regarding the use of non-StdV-1 standards if they are necessary to satisfy NPX capability and
functionality.
(e) The Contractor shall provide the Government access to the CSPs and required architecture views, and present
status of CSP and standards conformance at Government readiness reviews if requested.
(f) The Contractor shall obtain Government approval for changes to the NPX CSP. At a minimum, approval shall
come from the Program Office/NCCB and the NASB for impacts to the Architecture and NSG interoperability.
(g) The Contractor shall obtain final approval from the cognizant NGA contracting officer prior to implementing
NPX CSP changes that affect the requirements of the contract.
(End of Clause)
I.169 5X52.242-9001 OBSERVANCE OF LEGAL HOLIDAYS, DELAYED ARRIVAL OR EARLY RELEASE
OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. (MAR 2022)
(a) The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency observes the following days as Federal holidays:
New Year's Day - January 1st
Martin Luther King's Birthday - 3rd Monday in January
Washington's Birthday - 3rd Monday in February
Memorial Day - Last Monday in May
Juneteenth Independence Day - June 19th
Independence Day - July 4th
Labor Day - 1st Monday in September
Columbus Day - 2nd Monday in October
Veterans Day - November 11th
Thanksgiving Day - 4th Thursday in November
Christmas Day - December 25th
Inauguration Day - January 20th of each fourth year after 1965
Washington DC - Metropolitan Area only
Any other day designated by Federal law, Executive Order, or Presidential Proclamation.
(b) Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the public holidays listed. Please note that most contractors work a
Monday through Friday schedule. For these contractor employees, when a holiday falls on a non-workday --
Saturday or Sunday -- the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the
holiday falls on Saturday).
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(c) Contractor personnel are not prohibited from performing work on a holiday, unless the labor category is not
authorized to work as negotiated in the contract. The following list identifies the labor categories that are not
authorized to perform work on a holiday based on negotiated terms. Labor categories included on this list are
expected to complete their workday as scheduled when NGA government employees are authorized early release
prior to a holiday (e.g. two hour early release) or other such benefit that applies to NGA government employees
only.
LABOR CATEGORY
[]
________________________________________________________________
(d)If the Contractor's personnel work on a holiday, no form of holiday, premium or differential compensation is an
allowable cost under the Contract unless another clause in the Contract explicitly authorizes work on holidays and
for the time period covered by the special compensation.
(e) When Federal employees working in an NGA facility are authorized a delayed arrival, released early or excused
in bulk from work, the Contractor may authorize its personnel whose normal workplace is in that facility: (1) to
continue working in the facility (unless prohibited by the NGA Facility Site Manager); (2) to work at alternate work
locations; or (3) to refrain from performing services during that period of time; as long as any work performed does
not result in the incurrence of any form of holiday, premium or differential compensation, or additional costs for
alternate work locations to be reimbursed by the Government as a direct or non-nominal indirect cost. Such costs are
not allowable under the Contract. Further, when services are not performed (e.g., a contractor employee takes leave)
the non-working hours are not allowable as a direct charge under the Contract.
(End of clause)
I.170 5X52.242-9002 GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, FURLOUGH OF GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL AND
CLOSURE OF NGA FACILITIES (NOV 2018)
(a) An NGA facility may be closed down for all or a portion of a business day(s) as a result of:
1) Failure of Congress to appropriate funds, resulting in a government shutdown and furlough of government
personnel;
2) Actual Continuity of Operations (COOP) or COOP training exercises;
3) Severe weather;
4) Unplanned events; or
5) Any other reason deemed appropriate by the D/NGA.
(b) In specific reference to (a) 1, and notwithstanding any other provision of the contract, contractors should
continue to perform work in accordance with the terms of the contract, provided funding is available on the contract.
Unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer, no work shall continue in the absence of available funding on
the contract. A Contracting Officer will issue specific stop-work notices to those contractors who must stop work
due to the government shutdown. Once a stop-work notice is received, contractors should implement an orderly
shutdown (e.g., secure files, make preparations to preserve work, etc…). Unless otherwise directed by the
Contracting Officer, the stop-work order will automatically lift when Congress appropriates funds and work
performance should resume provided there is funding on the contract.
(c) In specific reference to (a)2 through (a)5, the Contractor's personnel may be authorized by the cognizant
Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to work during a Government shutdown or
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closure as described in this clause, as long as any work performed does not result in the incurrence of any form of
holiday, premium or differential compensation or additional costs for alternate work locations to be reimbursed by
the Government as a direct or non-nominal indirect cost. Unless otherwise explicitly authorized by another clause,
such costs are not allowable under the Contract. Further, when services are not performed (e.g., a contractor
employee takes leave) the non-working hours are not allowable as a direct charge under the Contract.
(End of clause)
I.171 5X52.45.102-9000 MANAGEMENT OF NGA GOVERNMENT PROPERTY (MAR 2023)
Management of NGA Government Property
(a) Definitions
(1) NGA Accountable Property System of Record (APSR) is the enterprise system for property accountability,
stewardship, and financial reporting. Contains the official records that form the basis for accountability, audit, and
fiduciary reporting of accountable property. Functions as a sub-ledger to the NGA accounting system for financial
reporting purposes.
(b) Contractor Responsibilities.
(1) The Contractor shall account for all accountable Government Furnished Property (GFP) in NGA APSR in
accordance with DoDI 5000.64.
(2) The Contractor shall designate an Asset Custodian (AC) to manage and account for no greater than 3,000 GFP
assets per AC in the NGA APSR. UNCLASSIFIED 130 UNCLASSIFIED
(3) The Contractor shall physically inventory 100% of all accountable GFP in its possession on an annual basis
based on NGA-SIOP Inventory Schedule and ensure reconciliation within the APSR.
(4) Contractors should submit their annual inventory report to SIOP, in turn for OCS to incorporate as the official
GFP support record.
(5) Contractors with no access to COE/APSR shall report inventory results, asset deliveries/receipt, and asset
disposal within 10 days of completion to the NGA Security and Installation Operations Office, Policy and Programs
Division (SIOP) at NGA/SIOP, Mail Stop N82-SIOP, 7500 GEOINT Drive, Springfield, VA 22150 to update the
NGA APSR.
(c) Government Responsibilities.
(1) The NGA Security and Installation Operations Directorate, Installation Operations Office, Policy and
Programs Division (SIOP) shall perform the property administration function identified in FAR 42.302(a)(27).
(2) The Government shall provide instruction on the use of the NGA APSR.
(3) The Government shall designate a Program Asset Manager to perform receipt and acceptance on behalf of the
Government for property managed in the NGA APSR.
(End of Clause)
I.172 5X52.45.592-9000 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED LIMITED DISTRIBUTION MATERIALS (JUN 2004)
(a) Definition - LIMITED DISTRIBUTION (LIMDIS) materials mean any unclassified geospatial information and
data or imagery distributed by or created by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as well as materials
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derived from National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency information and data, that is marked or labeled as "LIMITED
DISTRIBUTION" or "LIMDIS".
(b) Geospatial information and data or imagery identified as being "LIMITED DISTRIBUTION" are protected from
public disclosure pursuant to Title 10, United States Code, Section 455. The Government may provide LIMITED
DISTRIBUTION materials to the Contractor (or Subcontractor) for use in the performance of this contract.
(c) In addition to the restrictions and obligations contained in the clause at DFARS 252.245-7000, "Government-
Furnished Mapping, Charting, and Geodesy Property (April 2012)," the Contractor (or Subcontractor) shall:
(1) Grant access to LIMDIS materials to only those individuals having a need for access in the performance of this
contract. In furtherance of this requirement, the contractor shall:
a. Prohibit storage of LIMDIS materials on systems accessible by other individuals who do not require such access.
b. Ensure that LIMDIS materials are not used to either demonstrate products or capabilities outside the scope of the
contract or as a marketing tool.
c. Ensure that LIMDIS materials are not used to create other products or derivative products.
d. Prohibit the processing or transmission of LIMDIS materials on unencrypted or unsecured systems accessible by
the public such as the World Wide Web.
e. Ensure that LIMDIS materials are not displayed or made otherwise accessible to the public.
f. Ensure that LIMDIS materials are not released, accessed by, or sold to foreign governments or international
organizations.
g. Take whatever additional measures are necessary to prevent unauthorized access to LIMDIS materials.
h. Employ storage and inventory controls adequate to ensure that LIMDIS materials are protected from loss or
unauthorized use or access.
(2) Ensure each reproduction of LIMDIS materials includes the following LIMDIS caveat:
LIMITED DISTRIBUTION
Distribution authorized to DoD, IAW 10 U.S.C. § 130 & § 455. Release authorized to U.S. DoD contractors IAW 48
CFR § 252.245-7000. Refer other requests to Headquarters, NGA, ATTN: Release Officer, Mail Stop D-136.
Destroy as "FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY." Removal of this caveat is prohibited.
(3) Ensure LIMDIS materials that are no longer required for contract performance and chosen for destruction are
destroyed by a method that prevents reconstruction of the materials to their original condition. Paper products should
be destroyed by a method such as pulping, burning, or cross-cut shredding. Electronic media should be returned to
the Contracting Officer or destroyed locally in a manner that prevents reconstruction of the media and abides by any
environmental regulations.
(4) Immediately submit a report to the Contracting Officer upon discovery that LIMDIS material has been lost,
stolen, or disclosed to unauthorized persons. Follow-up reports containing additional facts will be provided
immediately when those facts become known. The Contractor (and/or Subcontractor) shall provide an assessment of
the extent to which LIMDIS material has been compromised and shall propose corrective action to limit the extent
of compromise and to prevent a reoccurrence.
(d) The Contractor shall include the terms and conditions of subparagraphs (a) through (c) of this provision in every
subcontract.
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(End of Clause)
I.173 5X52.246-9000 CONTRACTOR COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (NGA) AND U.S. GOVERNMENT INSTALLATION REGULATIONS,
DIRECTIVES, INSTRUCTIONS, RULES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES (MAR 2023)
A. The Contractor shall comply with, and shall ensure that its personnel, to include subcontractors, comply with all
applicable NGA regulations, directives, instructions, rules, policies and procedures. The Contractor may request
copies from the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), the Contracting Officer or their designated
representative(s).
B. The Contractor shall comply with, and shall ensure that its personnel, to include subcontractors, comply with
regulations, directives, instructions, rules, policies, procedures and other applicable requirements issued by the U.S.
Government Installation Commander where NGA is a tenant activity, including, but not limited to, those relating to
force protection, security, health and safety. The Contractor may request copies from the Contracting Officer’s
Representative (COR), the Contracting Officer or their designated representative(s).
C. The Contractor shall institute and implement an effective program to ensure their employees and subcontractors,
comply with all applicable requirements in accordance with paragraphs A and B above as well as paragraphs E and
H below.
D. The specific requirements covered in paragraphs A, B, E, and H may be specified in the Performance Work
Statement, elsewhere in the contract, or in NGA and/or Government installation regulations, directives, instructions,
rules, policies and procedures. Specific requirements may include, but are not limited to categories such as:
• Security in/out processing
• Personnel in/out processing
• Facility access, parking, and in/out processing
• Information technology access and in/out processing
• PeopleSoft access, updates and in/out processing
• Periodic and special training requirements
E. Facility Access and Badging.
The following criteria must be met in order to be issued an NGA IC badge and to gain access to an NGA-controlled
facility:
(1) NGA IC badges will only be issued to those contractors who provide direct-charge support on an active TS/SCI
NGA contract, even when seated at corporate locations outside of NGA Government facilities. Green badges must
be used at least once per week at an NGA Government facility. Failure to use an NGA IC badge may result in
suspension or termination of the badge for lack of activity. The badges will expire at the end of the supported
contract. Note: NGA IC badges will not be issued to any contractor who does not need access to an NGA facility,
i.e., Corporate VIPs, etc. Infrequent visitors must report to the Visitor’s Center.
(2) Notwithstanding the above, NGA badges will be issued to contractors, who are required by contract, to gain
access to an NGA facility in the event of an emergency or when after-hours access is required. The Government
POC or Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) coordinates the submission of an application for an NGA
badge; establishment of a PeopleSoft record of SCI accesses; completion of NGA Form 5212-7A, “Request for
Identification/Building Access Picture Badge”; and submission of the application to the appropriate Site Security
Office for approval. (Reference NGA Instruction 5210.8, Physical Security Program)
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F. The Contracting Officer may direct the Contractor, at its own expense, to remove and replace any Contractor
personnel who fail to comply with or violate applicable requirements of this clause. Such action may be taken at the
Government’s discretion without prejudice to its rights under any other provision of this contract, including the
Termination for Default clause.
G. The Contracting Officer may include the results of the Contractor’s ability to adhere to this clause in past
performance reports, quality assurance surveillance plans and award fee plans as part of the overall administration of
this contract.
H. NGA Inspector General
(1) The contractor must report to the NGA Inspector General (IG), DoDIG, or Intelligence Community IG any
and all possible violations of federal law or illegal intelligence activities related to this contract by individuals
charging directly or indirectly to this contract.
(2) The IG shall have access to any individual charging directly or indirectly to this contract whose testimony is
needed for the performance of the IG’s duties. In addition, the IG shall have direct access to all records, reports,
audits, reviews, recommendations, documents, e-mails, papers, or other material that relate to this contract with
respect to which the IG has responsibilities. Failure on the part of any contractor to cooperate with the IG shall be
grounds for administrative action by the Director, Office of Contract Services, including contractual remedies.
(3) NGA contractors and contractor personnel may report suspected instances of improper conduct through the
NGA IG Hotline. Contractors shall make their employees aware of this Hotline: 571-557-4849, secure 578-4849, or
toll free 1-800-380-7729 or by contacting the OIG at IG@nga.mil or secure at IG@nga.ic.gov.
(4) The contractor agrees to include the substance of this clause in all subcontracts exceeding the simplified
acquisition threshold except those for commercial products or commercial services and those where the NGA
association must be protected.
(5) This requirement is supported in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.203-13, which requires
timely disclosure to the Government of credible evidence of violation of law, and timely and complete response to
OIG requests for documents and access to employees and information.
(6) This requirement is supported in NGA policy. NGAI 7410.1 requires all personnel, to include contractors, to
cooperate fully with NGA OIG audits, inspections, and investigations.
(End of Clause)
SECTION J - List of Documents, Exhibits and Other Attachments
J.1 List of Documents, Exhibits and Other Attachments
Attachment Document Number of
Title Date
Number Version Pages
This section was intentionally left blank and will be filled in at Topic Call level contract award.
SECTION K - Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Bidders
K.1 Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Bidders
K.2 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS. (MAY 2024)
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(a)(1) The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541715.
(2) The small business size standard is 1,000.
(3) The small business size standard for a concern that submits an offer, other than on a construction or service
acquisition, but proposes to furnish an end item that it did not itself manufacture, process, or produce is 500
employees, or 150 employees for information technology value-added resellers under NAICS code 541519, if the
acquisition-
(i) Is set aside for small business and has a value above the simplified acquisition threshold;
(ii) Uses the HUBZone price evaluation preference regardless of dollar value, unless the offeror waives the price
evaluation preference; or
(iii) Is an 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, economically disadvantaged women-owned, or women-
owned small business set-aside or sole-source award regardless of dollar value.
(b)(1) If the provision at 52.204-7, System for Award Management, is included in this solicitation, paragraph (d) of
this provision applies.
(2) If the provision at 52.204-7, System for Award Management, is not included in this solicitation, and the Offeror
has an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), the Offeror may choose to use paragraph
(d) of this provision instead of completing the corresponding individual representations and certifications in the
solicitation. The Offeror shall indicate which option applies by checking one of the following boxes:
___ (i) Paragraph (d) applies.
___ (ii) Paragraph (d) does not apply and the offeror has completed the individual representations and certifications
in the solicitation.
(c)(1) The following representations or certifications in SAM are applicable to this solicitation as indicated:
(i) 52.203-2, Certificate of Independent Price Determination. This provision applies to solicitations when a firm-
fixed-price contract or fixed-price contract with economic price adjustment is contemplated, unless-
(A) The acquisition is to be made under the simplified acquisition procedures in Part 13;
(B) The solicitation is a request for technical proposals under two-step sealed bidding procedures; or
(C) The solicitation is for utility services for which rates are set by law or regulation.
(ii) 52.203-11, Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions. This
provision applies to solicitations expected to exceed $150,000.
(iii) 52.203-18, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or
Statements-Representation. This provision applies to all solicitations.
(iv) 52.204-3, Taxpayer Identification. This provision applies to solicitations that do not include provision at 52.204-
7, System for Award Management.
(v) 52.204-5, Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). This provision applies to solicitations that-
(A) Are not set aside for small business concerns;
(B) Exceed the simplified acquisition threshold; and
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(C) Are for contracts that will be performed in the United States or its outlying areas.
(vi) 52.204-26, Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation. This provision applies to all
solicitations.
(vii) 52.209-2, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations-Representation.
(viii) 52.209-5, Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters. This provision applies to solicitations where the
contract value is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.
(ix) 52.209-11, Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under
any Federal Law. This provision applies to all solicitations.
(x) 52.214-14, Place of Performance-Sealed Bidding. This provision applies to invitations for bids except those in
which the place of performance is specified by the Government.
(xi) 52.215-6, Place of Performance. This provision applies to solicitations unless the place of performance is
specified by the Government.
(xii) 52.219-1, Small Business Program Representations (Basic, Alternates I, and II). This provision applies to
solicitations when the contract is for supplies to be delivered or services to be performed in the United States or its
outlying areas, or when the contracting officer has applied part 19 in accordance with 19.000(b)(1)(ii).
(A) The basic provision applies when the solicitations are issued by other than DoD, NASA, and the Coast Guard.
(B) The provision with its Alternate I applies to solicitations issued by DoD, NASA, or the Coast Guard.
(C) The provision with its Alternate II applies to solicitations that will result in a multiple-award contract with more
than one NAICS code assigned.
(xiii) 52.219-2, Equal Low Bids. This provision applies to solicitations when contracting by sealed bidding and the
contract is for supplies to be delivered or services to be performed in the United States or its outlying areas, or when
the contracting officer has applied part 19 in accordance with 19.000(b)(1)(ii).
(xiv) 52.222-22, Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports. This provision applies to solicitations that include the
clause at 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity.
(xv) 52.222-25, Affirmative Action Compliance. This provision applies to solicitations, other than those for
construction, when the solicitation includes the clause at 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity.
(xvi) 52.222-38, Compliance with Veterans' Employment Reporting Requirements. This provision applies to
solicitations when it is anticipated the contract award will exceed the simplified acquisition threshold and the
contract is not for acquisition of commercial products or commercial services.
(xvii) 52.223-1, Biobased Product Certification. This provision applies to solicitations that require the delivery or
specify the use of biobased products in USDA-designated product categories; or include the clause at 52.223-2,
Reporting of Biobased Products Under Service and Construction Contracts.
(xviii) 52.223-4, Recovered Material Certification. This provision applies to solicitations that are for, or specify the
use of, EPA-designated items.
(xix) 52.223-22, Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals-Representation. This
provision applies to solicitations that include the clause at 52.204-7.
(xx) 52.225-2, Buy American Certificate. This provision applies to solicitations containing the clause at 52.225-1.
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(xxi) 52.225-4, Buy American-Free Trade Agreements-Israeli Trade Act Certificate. (Basic, Alternates II and III.)
This provision applies to solicitations containing the clause at 52.225-3.
(A) If the acquisition value is less than $50,000, the basic provision applies.
(B) If the acquisition value is $50,000 or more but is less than $100,000, the provision with its Alternate II applies.
(C) If the acquisition value is $100,000 or more but is less than $102,280, the provision with its Alternate III applies.
(xxii) 52.225-6, Trade Agreements Certificate. This provision applies to solicitations containing the clause at
52.225-5.
(xxiii) 52.225-20, Prohibition on Conducting Restricted Business Operations in Sudan-Certification. This provision
applies to all solicitations.
(xxiv) 52.225-25, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Certain Activities or Transactions Relating
to Iran-Representation and Certifications. This provision applies to all solicitations.
(xxv) 52.226-2, Historically Black College or University and Minority Institution Representation. This provision
applies to solicitations for research, studies, supplies, or services of the type normally acquired from higher
educational institutions.
(2) The following representations or certifications are applicable as indicated by the Contracting Officer:
[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]
[X] (i) 52.204-17, Ownership or Control of Offeror.
[X] (ii) 52.204-20, Predecessor of Offeror.
[ ] (iii) 52.222-18, Certification Regarding Knowledge of Child Labor for Listed End Products.
[ ] (iv) 52.222-48, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for
Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment-Certification.
[ ] (v) 52.222-52, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain
Services-Certification.
[ ] (vi) 52.227-6, Royalty Information.
[ ] (A) Basic.
[ ] (B) Alternate I.
[ ] (vii) 52.227-15, Representation of Limited Rights Data and Restricted Computer Software.
(d) The Offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically in SAM accessed through
https://www.sam.gov. After reviewing the SAM information, the Offeror verifies by submission of the offer that the
representations and certifications currently posted electronically that apply to this solicitation as indicated in
paragraph (c) of this provision have been entered or updated within the last 12 months, are current, accurate,
complete, and applicable to this solicitation (including the business size standard applicable to the NAICS code
referenced for this solicitation), as of the date of this offer and are incorporated in this offer by reference (see FAR
4.1201); except for the changes identified below [offeror to insert changes, identifying change by clause number,
title, date]. These amended representation(s) and/or certification(s) are also incorporated in this offer and are
current, accurate, and complete as of the date of this offer.
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(End of provision)
K.3 52.204-24 REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO
SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT. (NOV 2021)
The Offeror shall not complete the representation at paragraph (d)(1) of this provision if the Offeror has represented
that it "does not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services as a part of its offered products or
services to the Government in the performance of any contract, subcontract, or other contractual instrument" in
paragraph (c)(1) in the provision at 52.204-26, Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-
Representation, or in paragraph (v)(2)(i) of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-
Commercial Products and Commercial Services. The Offeror shall not complete the representation in paragraph
(d)(2) of this provision if the Offeror has represented that it "does not use covered telecommunications equipment or
services, or any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services" in
paragraph (c)(2) of the provision at 52.204-26, or in paragraph (v)(2)(ii) of the provision at 52.212-3.
(a) Definitions. As used in this provision-
Backhaul, covered telecommunications equipment or services, critical technology, interconnection arrangements,
reasonable inquiry, roaming, and substantial or essential component have the meanings provided in the clause
52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or
Equipment.
(b) Prohibition. (1) Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2019, from procuring or
obtaining, or extending or renewing a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses
covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as
critical technology as part of any system. Nothing in the prohibition shall be construed to-
(i) Prohibit the head of an executive agency from procuring with an entity to provide a service that connects to the
facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or
(ii) Cover telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or cannot permit visibility
into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.
(2) Section 889(a)(1)(B) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L.
115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2020, from entering into a contract or
extending or renewing a contract with an entity that uses any equipment, system, or service that uses covered
telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical
technology as part of any system. This prohibition applies to the use of covered telecommunications equipment or
services, regardless of whether that use is in performance of work under a Federal contract. Nothing in the
prohibition shall be construed to-
(i) Prohibit the head of an executive agency from procuring with an entity to provide a service that connects to the
facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or
(ii) Cover telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or cannot permit visibility
into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.
(c) Procedures. The Offeror shall review the list of excluded parties in the System for Award Management (SAM)
(https://www.sam.gov) for entities excluded from receiving federal awards for "covered telecommunications
equipment or services."
(d) Representations. The Offeror represents that-
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(1) It [ ] will, [ ] will not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services to the Government in the
performance of any contract, subcontract or other contractual instrument resulting from this solicitation. The Offeror
shall provide the additional disclosure information required at paragraph (e)(1) of this section if the Offeror responds
"will" in paragraph (d)(1) of this section; and
(2) After conducting a reasonable inquiry, for purposes of this representation, the Offeror represents that-
It [ ] does, [ ] does not use covered telecommunications equipment or services, or use any equipment, system, or
service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services. The Offeror shall provide the additional
disclosure information required at paragraph (e)(2) of this section if the Offeror responds "does" in paragraph (d)(2)
of this section.
(e) Disclosures. (1) Disclosure for the representation in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision. If the Offeror has
responded "will" in the representation in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision, the Offeror shall provide the following
information as part of the offer:
(i) For covered equipment-
(A) The entity that produced the covered telecommunications equipment (include entity name, unique entity
identifier, CAGE code, and whether the entity was the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or a distributor, if
known);
(B) A description of all covered telecommunications equipment offered (include brand; model number, such as
OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); and
(C) Explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications equipment and any factors relevant to
determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision.
(ii) For covered services-
(A) If the service is related to item maintenance: A description of all covered telecommunications services offered
(include on the item being maintained: Brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or
wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); or
(B) If not associated with maintenance, the Product Service Code (PSC) of the service being provided; and
explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications services and any factors relevant to determining if
such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision.
(2) Disclosure for the representation in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision. If the Offeror has responded "does" in the
representation in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision, the Offeror shall provide the following information as part of the
offer:
(i) For covered equipment-
(A) The entity that produced the covered telecommunications equipment (include entity name, unique entity
identifier, CAGE code, and whether the entity was the OEM or a distributor, if known);
(B) A description of all covered telecommunications equipment offered (include brand; model number, such as
OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); and
(C) Explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications equipment and any factors relevant to
determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision.
(ii) For covered services-
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(A) If the service is related to item maintenance: A description of all covered telecommunications services offered
(include on the item being maintained: Brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or
wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); or
(B) If not associated with maintenance, the PSC of the service being provided; and explanation of the proposed use
of covered telecommunications services and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible
under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision.
(End of provision)
K.4 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS. (OCT 2018)
(a) Definitions. As used in this provision-
Administrative proceeding means a non-judicial process that is adjudicatory in nature in order to make a
determination of fault or liability (e.g., Securities and Exchange Commission Administrative Proceedings, Civilian
Board of Contract Appeals Proceedings, and Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals Proceedings). This
includes administrative proceedings at the Federal and State level but only in connection with performance of a
Federal contract or grant. It does not include agency actions such as contract audits, site visits, corrective plans, or
inspection of deliverables.
Federal contracts and grants with total value greater than $10,000,000 means-
(1) The total value of all current, active contracts and grants, including all priced options; and
(2) The total value of all current, active orders including all priced options under indefinite-delivery, indefinite-
quantity, 8(a), or requirements contracts (including task and delivery and multiple-award Schedules).
Principal means an officer, director, owner, partner, or a person having primary management or supervisory
responsibilities within a business entity (e.g., general manager; plant manager; head of a division or business
segment; and similar positions).
(b) The offeror [ ] has [ ] does not have current active Federal contracts and grants with total value greater than
$10,000,000.
(c) If the offeror checked "has" in paragraph (b) of this provision, the offeror represents, by submission of this offer,
that the information it has entered in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)
is current, accurate, and complete as of the date of submission of this offer with regard to the following information:
(1) Whether the offeror, and/or any of its principals, has or has not, within the last five years, in connection with the
award to or performance by the offeror of a Federal contract or grant, been the subject of a proceeding, at the
Federal or State level that resulted in any of the following dispositions:
(i) In a criminal proceeding, a conviction.
(ii) In a civil proceeding, a finding of fault and liability that results in the payment of a monetary fine, penalty,
reimbursement, restitution, or damages of $5,000 or more.
(iii) In an administrative proceeding, a finding of fault and liability that results in-
(A) The payment of a monetary fine or penalty of $5,000 or more; or
(B) The payment of a reimbursement, restitution, or damages in excess of $100,000.
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(iv) In a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding, a disposition of the matter by consent or compromise with an
acknowledgment of fault by the Contractor if the proceeding could have led to any of the outcomes specified in
paragraphs (c)(1)(i), (c)(1)(ii), or (c)(1)(iii) of this provision.
(2) If the offeror has been involved in the last five years in any of the occurrences listed in (c)(1) of this provision,
whether the offeror has provided the requested information with regard to each occurrence.
(d) The offeror shall post the information in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) through (c)(1)(iv) of this provision in FAPIIS as
required through maintaining an active registration in the System for Award Management, which can be accessed
via https://www.sam.gov (see 52.204-7).
(End of provision)
K.5 52.230-1 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS NOTICES AND CERTIFICATION. (JUN 2020)
Note: This notice does not apply to small businesses or foreign governments. This notice is in three parts, identified
by Roman numerals I through III.
Offerors shall examine each part and provide the requested information in order to determine Cost Accounting
Standards (CAS) requirements applicable to any resultant contract.
If the offeror is an educational institution, Part II does not apply unless the contemplated contract will be subject to
full or modified CAS coverage pursuant to 48 CFR 9903.201-2(c)(5) or 9903.201-2(c)(6), respectively.
I. Disclosure Statement - Cost Accounting Practices and Certification
(a) Any contract in excess of the lower CAS threshold specified in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 30.201-
4(b) resulting from this solicitation will be subject to the requirements of the Cost Accounting Standards Board (48
CFR chapter 99), except for those contracts which are exempt as specified in 48 CFR 9903.201-1.
(b) Any offeror submitting a proposal which, if accepted, will result in a contract subject to the requirements of 48
CFR chapter 99 must, as a condition of contracting, submit a Disclosure Statement as required by 48 CFR 9903.202.
When required, the Disclosure Statement must be submitted as a part of the offeror's proposal under this solicitation
unless the offeror has already submitted a Disclosure Statement disclosing the practices used in connection with the
pricing of this proposal. If an applicable Disclosure Statement has already been submitted, the offeror may satisfy
the requirement for submission by providing the information requested in paragraph (c) of Part I of this provision.
CAUTION: In the absence of specific regulations or agreement, a practice disclosed in a Disclosure Statement shall
not, by virtue of such disclosure, be deemed to be a proper, approved, or agreed-to practice for pricing proposals or
accumulating and reporting contract performance cost data.
(c) Check the appropriate box below:
[ ] (1) Certificate of Concurrent Submission of Disclosure Statement. The offeror hereby certifies that, as a part of
the offer, copies of the Disclosure Statement have been submitted as follows: (i) original and one copy to the
cognizant Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO) or cognizant Federal agency official authorized to act in that
capacity (Federal official), as applicable, and (ii) one copy to the cognizant Federal auditor.
(Disclosure must be on Form No. CASB DS-1 or CASB DS-2, as applicable. Forms may be obtained from the
cognizant ACO or Federal official.)
Date of Disclosure Statement: [ ]
Name and Address of Cognizant ACO or Federal Official Where Filed: [ ]
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The offeror further certifies that the practices used in estimating costs in pricing this proposal are consistent with the
cost accounting practices disclosed in the Disclosure Statement.
[ ] (2) Certificate of Previously Submitted Disclosure Statement. The offeror hereby certifies that the required
Disclosure Statement was filed as follows:
Date of Disclosure Statement: [ ]
Name and Address of Cognizant ACO or Federal Official Where Filed: [ ]
The offeror further certifies that the practices used in estimating costs in pricing this proposal are consistent with the
cost accounting practices disclosed in the applicable Disclosure Statement.
[ ] (3) Certificate of Monetary Exemption. The offeror hereby certifies that the offeror, together with all divisions,
subsidiaries, and affiliates under common control, did not receive net awards of negotiated prime contracts and
subcontracts subject to CAS totaling $50 million or more in the cost accounting period immediately preceding the
period in which this proposal was submitted. The offeror further certifies that if such status changes before an award
resulting from this proposal, the offeror will advise the Contracting Officer immediately.
[ ] (4) Certificate of Interim Exemption. The offeror hereby certifies that (i) the offeror first exceeded the monetary
exemption for disclosure, as defined in (3) of this subsection, in the cost accounting period immediately preceding
the period in which this offer was submitted and (ii) in accordance with 48 CFR 9903.202-1, the offeror is not yet
required to submit a Disclosure Statement. The offeror further certifies that if an award resulting from this proposal
has not been made within 90 days after the end of that period, the offeror will immediately submit a revised
certificate to the Contracting Officer, in the form specified under subparagraph (c)(1) or (c)(2) of Part I of this
provision, as appropriate, to verify submission of a completed Disclosure Statement.
CAUTION: Offerors currently required to disclose because they were awarded a CAS-covered prime contract or
subcontract of $50 million or more in the current cost accounting period may not claim this exemption (4). Further,
the exemption applies only in connection with proposals submitted before expiration of the 90-day period following
the cost accounting period in which the monetary exemption was exceeded.
II. Cost Accounting Standards - Eligibility for Modified Contract Coverage
If the offeror is eligible to use the modified provisions of 48 CFR 9903.201-2(b) and elects to do so, the offeror shall
indicate by checking the box below. Checking the box below shall mean that the resultant contract is subject to the
Disclosure and Consistency of Cost Accounting Practices clause in lieu of the Cost Accounting Standards clause.
[ ] The offeror hereby claims an exemption from the Cost Accounting Standards clause under the provisions of 48
CFR 9903.201-2(b) and certifies that the offeror is eligible for use of the Disclosure and Consistency of Cost
Accounting Practices clause because during the cost accounting period immediately preceding the period in which
this proposal was submitted, the offeror received less than $50 million in awards of CAS-covered prime contracts
and subcontracts. The offeror further certifies that if such status changes before an award resulting from this
proposal, the offeror will advise the Contracting Officer immediately.
CAUTION: An offeror may not claim the above eligibility for modified contract coverage if this proposal is
expected to result in the award of a CAS-covered contract of $50 million or more or if, during its current cost
accounting period, the offeror has been awarded a single CAS-covered prime contract or subcontract of $50 million
or more.
III. Additional Cost Accounting Standards Applicable to Existing Contracts
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The offeror shall indicate below whether award of the contemplated contract would, in accordance with
subparagraph (a)(3) of the Cost Accounting Standards clause, require a change in established cost accounting
practices affecting existing contracts and subcontracts.
[ ]Yes[ ]No
(End of provision)
K.6 52.230-7 PROPOSAL DISCLOSURE--COST ACCOUNTING PRACTICE CHANGES. (APR 2005)
The offeror shall check "yes" below if the contract award will result in a required or unilateral change in cost
accounting practice, including unilateral changes requested to be desirable changes.
___ Yes ___ No
If the offeror checked "Yes" above, the offeror shall--
(1) Prepare the price proposal in response to the solicitation using the changed practice for the period of
performance for which the practice will be used; and
(2) Submit a description of the changed cost accounting practice to the Contracting Officer and the Cognizant
Federal Agency Official as pricing support for the proposal.
(End of provision)
K.7 252.203-7005 REPRESENTATION RELATING TO COMPENSATION OF FORMER DOD OFFICIALS.
(SEP 2022)
K.8 252.204-7007 ALTERNATE A, ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS. (OCT 2024)
Substitute the following paragraphs (b), (d), and (e) for paragraphs (b) and (d) of the provision at FAR 52.204-8:
(b)(1) If the provision at FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management, is included in this solicitation, paragraph
(e) of this provision applies.
(2) If the provision at FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management, is not included in this solicitation, and the
Offeror has an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), the Offeror may choose to use
paragraph (e) of this provision instead of completing the corresponding individual representations and certifications
in the solicitation. The Offeror shall indicate which option applies by checking one of the following boxes:
[ ] (i) Paragraph (e) applies.
[ ] (ii) Paragraph (e) does not apply and the Offeror has completed the individual representations and certifications
in the solicitation.
(d)(1) The following representations or certifications in the SAM database are applicable to this solicitation as
indicated:
(i) 252.204-7016, Covered Defense Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation. Applies to all
solicitations.
(ii) 252.216-7008, Economic Price Adjustment-Wage Rates or Material Prices Controlled by a Foreign Government.
Applies to solicitations for fixed-price supply and service contracts when the contract is to be performed wholly or
in part in a foreign country, and a foreign government controls wage rates or material prices and may during contract
performance impose a mandatory change in wages or prices of materials.
UNCLASSIFIED
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(iii) 252.225-7042, Authorization to Perform. Applies to all solicitations when performance will be wholly or in part
in a foreign country.
(iv) 252.225-7049, Prohibition on Acquisition of Certain Foreign Commercial Satellite Services-Representations.
Applies to solicitations for the acquisition of commercial satellite services.
(v) 252.225-7050, Disclosure of Ownership or Control by the Government of a Country that is a State Sponsor of
Terrorism. Applies to all solicitations expected to result in contracts of $150,000 or more.
(vi) 252.229-7012, Tax Exemptions (Italy)-Representation. Applies to solicitations when contract performance will
be in Italy.
(vii) 252.229-7013, Tax Exemptions (Spain)-Representation. Applies to solicitations when contract performance
will be in Spain.
(2) The following representations or certifications in SAM are applicable to this solicitation as indicated by the
Contracting Officer: (Contracting Officer check as appropriate.)
[X] (i) 252.209-7002, Disclosure of Ownership or Control by a Foreign Government.
[ ] (ii) 252.225-7000, Buy American-Balance of Payments Program Certificate.
[ ] (iii) 252.225-7020, Trade Agreements Certificate.
[ ] Use with Alternate I.
[ ] (iv) 252.225-7031, Secondary Arab Boycott of Israel.
[ ] (v) 252.225-7035, Buy American-Free Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program Certificate.
[ ] Use with Alternate I.
[ ] Use with Alternate II.
[ ] Use with Alternate III.
[ ] Use with Alternate IV.
[ ] Use with Alternate V.
[ ] (vi) 252.226-7002, Representation for Demonstration Project for Contractors Employing Persons with
Disabilities.
[X] (vii) 252.232-7015, Performance-Based Payments-Representation.
(e) The Offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically via the SAM website at
https://www.sam.gov. After reviewing the SAM database information, the Offeror verifies by submission of the offer
that the representations and certifications currently posted electronically that apply to this solicitation as indicated in
FAR 52.204-8(c) and paragraph (d) of this provision have been entered or updated within the last 12 months, are
current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation (including the business size standard applicable to the
NAICS code referenced for this solicitation), as of the date of this offer, and are incorporated in this offer by
reference (see FAR 4.1201); except for the changes identified below [Offeror to insert changes, identifying change
by provision number, title, date]. These amended representation(s) and/or certification(s) are also incorporated in
this offer and are current, accurate, and complete as of the date of this offer.
UNCLASSIFIED
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FAR/DFARS provision No. Title Date Change
[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Any changes provided by the Offeror are applicable to this solicitation only, and do not result in an update to the
representations and certifications located in the SAM database.
(End of provision)
K.9 252.204-7008 COMPLIANCE WITH SAFEGUARDING COVERED DEFENSE INFORMATION
CONTROLS. (OCT 2016)
(a) Definitions. As used in this provision-
Controlled technical information, covered contractor information system, covered defense information, cyber
incident, information system, and technical information are defined in clause 252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered
Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting.
(b) The security requirements required by contract clause 252.204-7012, shall be implemented for all covered
defense information on all covered contractor information systems that support the performance of this contract.
(c) For covered contractor information systems that are not part of an information technology service or system
operated on behalf of the Government (see 252.204-7012(b)(2))-
(1) By submission of this offer, the Offeror represents that it will implement the security requirements specified by
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171, "Protecting Controlled
Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations" (see
http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-171) that are in effect at the time the solicitation is issued or as authorized by
the contracting officer, not later than December 31, 2017.
(2)(i) If the Offeror proposes to vary from any of the security requirements specified by NIST SP 800-171 that are in
effect at the time the solicitation is issued or as authorized by the Contracting Officer, the Offeror shall submit to the
Contracting Officer, for consideration by the DoD Chief Information Officer (CIO), a written explanation of-
(A) Why a particular security requirement is not applicable; or
(B) How an alternative but equally effective, security measure is used to compensate for the inability to satisfy a
particular requirement and achieve equivalent protection.
(ii) An authorized representative of the DoD CIO will adjudicate offeror requests to vary from NIST SP 800-171
requirements in writing prior to contract award. Any accepted variance from NIST SP 800-171 shall be incorporated
into the resulting contract.
(End of provision)
K.10 252.227-7012 PATENT LICENSE AND RELEASE CONTRACT. (DEC 2022)
[Contract No.]
This CONTRACT is effective as of the [ ] day of [month, year], between the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(hereinafter called the Government), and [ ] (hereinafter called the Contractor), (a corporation organized and existing
under the laws of the State of [ ]), (a partnership consisting of [ ]), (an individual trading as [ ]), of the City of [ ], in
the State of [ ].
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[(Insert the clause at 252.227-7004 for a paid up license, or the clause at 252.227-7006 for a license on a running
royalty basis.)]
[(Insert the appropriate alternative clause at 252.227-7005 for a paid up license, or the clause at 252.227-7007 for a
license on a running royalty basis.)]
[ (Insert the clause at 252.227-7001.)]
[ (Insert the clause at 252.227-7000.)]
The Contractor shall be paid the sum of [ ] Dollars ($[ ]) in full compensation for the rights herein granted and
agreed to be granted. (For a license on a running royalty basis, insert the clause at 252.227-7006 in accordance with
the instructions therein, and also the clause as specified at 252.227-7002 and 252.227-7009 and 252.227-7010.)
[ (Insert the clause at FAR 52.203-5.)]
[ (Insert the clause at FAR 52.232-23.)]
[ (Insert the clause at FAR >52.203-3.)]
[ (Insert the clause at FAR 52.233-1.)]
K.11 252.227-7017 IDENTIFICATION AND ASSERTION OF USE, RELEASE, OR DISCLOSURE
RESTRICTIONS. (JAN 2023)
Technical Data or
Name of Person
Computer Software to be Asserted Rights
Basis for Assertion** Asserting
Furnished With Category*
Restrictions**
Restrictions*
[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
K.12 252.227-7028 TECHNICAL DATA OR COMPUTER SOFTWARE PREVIOUSLY DELIVERED TO THE
GOVERNMENT. (JUN 1995)
SECTION L - Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Bidders
L.1 Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Bidders
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation - HM047623BAA0001.
FAR subpart 35.016 and DFARS subpart 235.016 Broad Agency Announcement procedures apply to this
solicitation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
L.2 52.204-7 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT. (NOV 2024)
L.3 52.204-16 COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT ENTITY CODE REPORTING. (AUG 2020)
L.4 52.211-2 AVAILABILITY OF DEFENSE SPECIFICATIONS, STANDARDS, AND DATA ITEM
DESCRIPTIONS IN THE ACQUISITION STREAMLINING AND STANDARDIZATION INFORMATION
SYSTEM (ASSIST) WEBSITE. (SEP 2023)
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(a) Most unclassified Defense specifications and standards may be downloaded from the ASSIST website at
https://assist.dla.mil.
(b) Defense documents not available from ASSIST may be requested from the Defense Standardization Program
Office by-
(1) Using the ASSIST feedback module (https://assist.dla.mil/feedback); or
(2) Contacting the Defense Standardization Program Office by telephone at 571-767-6888 or email at
assisthelp@dla.mil.
(End of provision)
L.5 52.215-16 FACILITIES CAPITAL COST OF MONEY. (JUN 2003)
L.6 52.215-20 REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA AND DATA OTHER THAN
COST OR PRICING DATA. (NOV 2021)
L.7 52.215-22 LIMITATIONS ON PASS-THROUGH CHARGES--IDENTIFICATION OF SUBCONTRACT
EFFORT. (OCT 2009)
L.8 52.216-30 TIME-AND-MATERIALS/LABOR-HOUR PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS--OTHER THAN
COMMERCIAL ACQUISITION WITHOUT ADEQUATE PRICE COMPETITION. (NOV 2021)
(a) The Government contemplates award of a Time-and-Materials or Labor-Hour type of contract resulting from this
solicitation.
(b) The offeror must specify separate fixed hourly rates in its offer that include wages, overhead, general and
administrative expenses, and profit for each category of labor to be performed by--
(1) The offeror;
(2) Each subcontractor; and
(3) Each division, subsidiary, or affiliate of the offeror under a common control.
(c) Unless exempt under paragraph (d) of this provision, the fixed hourly rates for services transferred between
divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of the offeror under a common control--
(1) Shall not include profit for the transferring organization; but
(2) May include profit for the prime Contractor.
(d) The fixed hourly rates for services that meet the definition of "commercial service" at Federal Acquisition
Regulation 2.101 that are transferred between divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of the offeror under a common
control may be the established catalog or market rate when it is the established practice of the transferring
organization to price interorganizational transfers at other than cost for commercial work of the offeror or any
division, subsidiary or affiliate of the offeror under a common control.
(End of provision)
L.9 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. (FEB 1998)
This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if
they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is
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cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its
quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by
paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a
solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): www.acquisition.gov
(End of provision)
L.10 52.252-5 AUTHORIZED DEVIATIONS IN PROVISIONS. (NOV 2020)
(a) The use in this solicitation of any Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR chapter 1) provision with an
authorized deviation is indicated by the addition of (DEVIATION) after the date of the provision.
(b) The use in this solicitation of any [insert regulation name] (48 CFR chapter [ ]) provision with an authorized
deviation is indicated by the addition of (DEVIATION) after the name of the regulation.
(End of provision)
L.11 252.239-7017 NOTICE OF SUPPLY CHAIN RISK. (DEC 2022)
L.12 5X52.209-9004 USE OF CONTRACTOR SUPPORT (OCT 2009)
(a) The Government will use (SEE TOPIC CALL) for facility support only. The Government will use (SEE TOPIC
CALL) for administrative, technical, and cost analysis support during source selection and during the term of any
resulting contract. The exclusive responsibility for source selection will reside with the Government.
(b) Proprietary information submitted in response to this solicitation will be protected from unauthorized disclosure
as required by Subsection 27 of the Office of Procurement Policy Act as amended (the Procurement Integrity
Act)(41 U.S.C. 423) (hereinafter referred to as "the Act") as implemented in the FAR. (SEE TOPIC CALL) is/are
bound contractually by the Protection of Information and Nondisclosure Agreements clause with respect to
proprietary information. By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation, the Contractor consents to the
Government disclosing Contractor proprietary information to the aforementioned contractors for the purposes
indicated.
(End of Provision)
SECTION M - Evaluation Factors for Award
M.1 Evaluation Factors for Award
M.2 52.217-5 EVALUATION OF OPTIONS. (JUL 1990)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation - HM047623BAA0001.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNCLASSIFIED
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DoD R&amp;D General Terms and Conditions_MAR2025

DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions
MARCH 2025
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... 1
Preamble ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Applicability .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Order of Precedence .............................................................................................................................. 8
Award Acceptance ................................................................................................................................ 8
English Language .................................................................................................................................. 9
Plain Language ...................................................................................................................................... 9
Reserved Provisions .............................................................................................................................. 9
Definitions ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Feedback on the Terms and Conditions ................................................................................................. 9
Part 1: Financial and Program Management ........................................................................... 10
FMS Article I. Financial management system standards. (JANUARY 2021) ........................................... 10
Section A. System standard for States.: .............................................................................................. 10
Section B. System standards for all recipients………………………………………………………..
10
Section C. Internal controls. .. ............................................................................................................. 11
FMS Article II. Payments. (OCTOBER 2024) ........................................................................................... 11
Section A. Awards to States. .:............................................................................................................ 11
Section B. Awards to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, local governments,
Indian tribes, and for-profit entities. ................................................................................................... 12
Section C. Electronic funds transfer and other payment procedural instructions or information. ......... 14
FMS Article III. Allowable costs, period of availability of funds, and fee or profit. (SEPTEMBER 2017)14
Section A. Allowable costs. .. ............................................................................................................. 14
Section B. Clarifications concerning charges for professional journal publications.. .......................... 15
Section C. Period of availability of funds. .: ....................................................................................... 15
Section D. Fee or profit. ...................................................................................................................... 16
FMS Article IV. Revision of budget and program plans. (OCTOBER 2024) ............................................ 16
Section A. Approved budget. .............................................................................................................. 16
Section B. Revisions requiring prior approval from the Grants Officer. .............................................. 16
Section C. Pre-award costs ................................................................................................................. 17
Section D. Procedures. ........................................................................................................................ 17
FMS Article V. Non-Federal audits. (OCTOBER 2024) ............................................................................ 18
Section A. Requirements for entities subject to the Single Audit Act.. .............................................. 18
Section B. Requirements for for-profit entities.. ................................................................................. 18
1

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FMS Article VI. Cost sharing or matching. (SEPTEMBER 2023) ............................................................. 18
Section A. Required cost sharing or matching. ................................................................................... 18
Section B. Allowability as cost sharing or matching.: ........................................................................ 18
Section C. Allowability of unrecovered indirect costs as cost sharing or matching.. ......................... 19
Section D. Allowability of program income as cost sharing or matching. ......................................... 19
Section E. Valuation of services or property that you or subrecipients contribute or donate. ............ 19
Section F. Valuation of third-party in-kind contributions. ................................................................... 20
FMS Article VII. Program income. (SEPTEMBER 2017) ......................................................................... 22
Section A. Definition. The term “program income” as used in this award: ......................................... 22
Section B. Encouragement to earn program income. .......................................................................... 23
Section C. Costs of generating program income.. ............................................................................... 23
Section D. License fees and royalties.. ............................................................................................... 23
Section E. Use of program income. ..................................................................................................... 23
Section F. Duration of accountability for program income. ................................................................. 24
Part 2: Property Administration ................................................................................................ 25
PROP Article I. Title to property. (OCTOBER 2024) ................................................................................ 25
Section A. Title to property acquired under this award. ...................................................................... 25
Section B. Property trust relationship. ................................................................................................. 26
Section C. Federally owned property. ................................................................................................. 26
Section D. Federal interest in donated real property or equipment. ..................................................... 26
Section E. Federal interest in property improved under the award. ..................................................... 26
PROP Article II. Property management system. (OCTOBER 2024) .......................................................... 27
Section A. Insurance coverage for real property and equipment.. ...................................................... 27
Section B. Other management system standards for a State. ............................................................... 27
Section C. Other management system standards for an institution of higher education, nonprofit
organization, local government, Indian tribe, or for-profit entity.. ..................................................... 28
PROP Article III. Use and disposition of real property. (OCTOBER 2024) ............................................... 29
Section A. Use of real property. .......................................................................................................... 29
Section B. Disposition of real property.: ............................................................................................ 29
Section C. Appraisals. ......................................................................................................................... 29
PROP Article IV. Use and disposition of equipment and supplies. (OCTOBER 2024) .............................. 30
Section A. Property subject to this article. .......................................................................................... 30
Section B. Requirements for a State’s use and disposition of equipment. ........................................... 30
Section C. Use of equipment by an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, local
government, Indian tribe, or for-profit entity ...................................................................................... 30
Section D. Disposition of equipment by an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization,
local government, Indian tribe, or for-profit entity.. ........................................................................... 31
Section E. Use and disposition of supplies acquired under this award. ................................................ 32
PROP Article V. Use and disposition of federally owned property. (SEPTEMBER 2017) ........................ 32
Section A. Use. ................................................................................................................................... 32
Section B. Disposition.: ...................................................................................................................... 33
PROP Article VI. Intangible property. (SEPTEMBER 2023) .................................................................... 33
Section A. Assertion of copyright. ...................................................................................................... 33
2

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Section B. Inventions developed under the award. .............................................................................. 33
Section C. Data produced under the award. ......................................................................................... 34
Section D. Use and disposition of intangible property acquired, but not developed or produced, under
the award. ............................................................................................................................................ 34
Part 3: Procurement ................................................................................................................... 36
PROC Article I. Procurement standards for States. (JANUARY 2021) .................................................... 36
Section A. Use of State procurement system. ..................................................................................... 36
Section B. Procurement of recovered materials.. ................................................................................ 36
Section C. Debarment and suspension. ............................................................................................... 36
Section D. Contract provisions. .......................................................................................................... 36
PROC Article II. Procurement standards for Indian Tribes (OCTOBER 2024) ........................................ 36
Section A. Use of Tribal procurement system.. .................................................................................. 36
Section B. Debarment and suspension.. .............................................................................................. 36
Section C. Contract provisions. .......................................................................................................... 36
PROC Article III. Procurement standards for institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations,
local governments, and for-profit entities. (OCTOBER 2024) .................................................................. 36
Section A. General procurement standards. ......................................................................................... 36
Section B. Competition.. ..................................................................................................................... 37
Section C. Procurement methods.. ...................................................................................................... 37
Section D. Contracting with small businesses, minority businesses, women’s business enterprises,
veteran-owned businesses, and labor surplus area firms..................................................................... 37
Section E. Contract cost and price.. .................................................................................................... 37
Section F. Contract provisions.. .......................................................................................................... 37
Section G. Procurement of recovered materials.. ............................................................................... 37
Section H. Review of procurement documents. Upon our request, you must make available: ............ 37
PROC Article IV. Contract provisions for recipient procurements. (OCTOBER 2024) ............................. 37
Section A. Contract provisions for administrative requirements. ........................................................ 37
Section B. Contract provisions for national policy requirements. ........................................................ 39
Part 4: Financial, Programmatic, and Property Reporting ..................................................... 42
REP Article I. Performance management, monitoring, and reporting. (SEPTEMBER 2023) .................... 42
Section A. Required reporting form, format, or data elements for interim and final performance
reports. ................................................................................................................................................ 42
Section B. Frequency, reporting periods, and due dates for interim performance reports.. ................ 42
Section C. Due date and reporting period for final performance report. .............................................. 42
Section D. Extensions of due dates… ................................................................................................. 42
Section E. Reporting significant developments. ................................................................................. 42
Section F. Performance reporting procedures.. ................................................................................... 42
Section G. Site visits. .......................................................................................................................... 42
REP Article II. Financial reporting. (OCTOBER 2024) ............................................................................. 43
Section A. Required reporting form, format, or data elements for interim and final financial reports.
............................................................................................................................................................ 43
Section B. Interim financial reports. ................................................................................................... 43
3

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Section C. Final financial report.. ....................................................................................................... 43
Section D. Extensions of due dates. .................................................................................................... 43
Section E. Where and how to submit financial reports. ...................................................................... 43
REP Article III. Reporting on property. (SEPTEMBER 2017)................................................................... 43
Section A. Real property. .................................................................................................................... 43
Section B. Equipment and supplies.. .................................................................................................. 44
Section C. Federally owned property.. ................................................................................................ 44
Section D. Intangible property. . ......................................................................................................... 45
REP Article IV. Reporting on subawards and executive compensation. (JANUARY 2021)...................... 45
Part 5: Other Administrative Requirements ............................................................................ 46
OAR Article I. Submitting and maintaining recipient information. (JANUARY 2021) ............................. 46
Section A. System for Award Management. ....................................................................................... 46
Section B. Reporting of Performance and Integrity Information. ........................................................ 46
Section C. Disclosure of evidence of integrity-related issues. ............................................................. 48
OAR Article II. Records retention and access. (OCTOBER 2024) ............................................................. 49
Section A. Records retention period. .................................................................................................. 49
Section B. Extensions of retention period due to litigation, claim, or audit. ........................................ 49
Section C. Records for program income earned after the end of the performance period. ................. 50
Section D. Records for joint or long-term use...................................................................................... 50
Section E. Methods for collecting, transmitting, and storing information. ........................................... 50
Section F. Access to records. ............................................................................................................... 51
OAR Article III. Remedies and termination. (MARCH 2025) .................................................................... 52
Section A. Noncompliance with award terms and conditions.. .......................................................... 52
Section B. Remedies for noncompliance. ............................................................................................ 52
Section C. Termination. ....................................................................................................................... 53
Section D. Effects of suspension or termination of the award on allowability of costs. ..................... 54
OAR Article IV. Claims, disputes, and appeals. (SEPTEMBER 2023)...................................................... 54
Section A. Definitions. ........................................................................................................................ 54
Section B. Submission of claims. ........................................................................................................ 55
Section C. Alternative dispute resolution. ............................................................................................ 55
Section D. Grants officer decisions for claims you submit. ................................................................. 55
Section E. Formal administrative appeals. ........................................................................................... 56
Section F. Representation. .................................................................................................................. 56
Section G. Non-exclusivity of remedies.. ........................................................................................... 56
Section H. Effect of Grant Appeal Authority’s decision.. ................................................................... 56
OAR Article V. Collection of amounts due. (OCTOBER 2024) ................................................................ 56
Section A. Establishing a debt. ............................................................................................................ 56
Section B. Debt delinquency and appeals. ........................................................................................... 57
Section C. Collection of amounts due. ................................................................................................. 57
OAR Article VI. Closeout. (OCTOBER 2024) ........................................................................................... 58
Section A. Liquidation of financial obligations. ................................................................................. 58
Section B. Refunds of unobligated balances....................................................................................... 58
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Section C. Final reports. ...................................................................................................................... 58
Section D. Accounting for property.. .................................................................................................. 58
Section E. Delinquent Final Reports and Timeframe for Closeout. ..................................................... 58
OAR Article VII. Post-closeout adjustments and continuing responsibilities. (SEPTEMBER 2023) ........ 59
Section A. Adjustments. T .................................................................................................................. 59
Section B. Continuing responsibilities. ............................................................................................... 59
Part 6: Subawards ....................................................................................................................... 60
SUB Article I. Distinguishing subawards and procurements. (SEPTEMBER 2017) .................................. 60
Section A. Required recipient determination.. .................................................................................... 60
Section B. Considerations in making the determination. ..................................................................... 60
Section C. Effect of the determination on the next-tier transaction. ..................................................... 60
SUB Article II. Pre-award and time of award responsibilities. (OCTOBER 2024) .................................... 61
Section A. Requirements for unique entity identifiers. ........................................................................ 61
Section B. Pre-award risk assessment. ................................................................................................. 61
Section C. Subaward content. .............................................................................................................. 62
Section D. Subaward and executive compensation reporting. ............................................................ 63
Section E. Required financial certification. ...................................................................................... 63
SUB Article III. Informational content of subawards. (OCTOBER 2024) ................................................. 63
Section A. Informational content in general.. ..................................................................................... 63
Section B. Federal award identification number and award date.. ...................................................... 63
Section C. Amount of Federal funds obligated. ................................................................................... 63
Section D. Total amount obligated to the subrecipient.. ..................................................................... 64
Section E. Total Amount of the Federal Award.. ............................................................................... 64
Section F. Federal awarding agency, pass-through entity, and awarding official. .............................. 64
Section G. Indirect cost rate. ............................................................................................................... 64
SUB Article IV. Financial and program management requirements for subawards. (SEPTEMBER 2023)64
Section A. Purposes of this article in relation to other articles. ............................................................ 64
Section B. Financial management system standards. .......................................................................... 65
Section C. Payments. ........................................................................................................................... 65
Section D. Allowable costs, period of availability of funds, and fee and profit. .................................. 66
Section E. Revision of budget and program plans. .............................................................................. 67
Section F. Non-Federal audits.. ........................................................................................................... 67
Section G. Cost sharing or matching requirements. ........................................................................... 67
Section H. Program income.: .............................................................................................................. 67
SUB Article V. Property requirements for subawards. (OCTOBER 2024) ................................................ 68
Section A. Purposes of this article in relation to other articles. ........................................................... 68
Section B. Title to property. ................................................................................................................ 68
Section C. Property management system. ........................................................................................... 69
Section D. Use and disposition of real property.. ................................................................................ 69
Section E. Appraisals. . …. ................................................................................................................. 69
Section F. Use and disposition of equipment and supplies. ................................................................ 70
Section F. Use and disposition of federally owned property. .............................................................. 70
Section G. Intangible property. ........................................................................................................... 70
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Section H. Disposition of residual supplies acquired under this award. ........................................... 71
SUB Article VI. Procurement procedures to include in subawards. (SEPTEMBER 2023) ........................ 71
Section A. Purposes of this article in relation to other articles. ........................................................... 71
Section B. Subaward to a State. In any subaward that you make to a State, you must include the
requirements of PROC Article I and applicable sections of PROC Article III of this award. ............ 71
Section C. Subaward to an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, local government,
Indian tribe, or for-profit entity. .......................................................................................................... 71
SUB Article VII. Financial, programmatic, and property reporting requirements for subawards.
(SEPTEMBER 2017) ................................................................................................................................. 72
Section A. Purposes of this article in relation to other articles. ............................................................ 72
Section B. Performance reporting. ....................................................................................................... 72
Section C. Financial reporting. ............................................................................................................ 72
Section D. Reporting on property. ....................................................................................................... 72
SUB Article VIII. Other administrative requirements for subawards. (OCTOBER 2024) ......................... 73
Section A. Purposes of this article in relation to other articles. ........................................................... 73
Section B. Submission and maintenance of subrecipient information. ............................................... 73
Section C. Records retention and access. .......................................................................................... 73
Section D. Remedies and termination. ................................................................................................ 74
Section E. Disputes, hearings, and appeals. ........................................................................................ 74
Section F. Collection of amounts due.. ............................................................................................... 75
Section G. Closeout. ............................................................................................................................ 75
Section H. Post-closeout adjustments and continuing responsibilities. ................................................ 75
SUB Article IX. National policy requirements for subawards. (September 2021) ..................................... 75
Section A. General. ............................................................................................................................. 75
Section B. Nondiscrimination national policy requirements............................................................... 76
Section C. Environmental national policy requirements. .................................................................... 76
Section D. National policy requirements concerning live organisms. ................................................ 76
Section E. Other national policy requirements. .................................................................................. 76
SUB Article X. Subrecipient monitoring and other post-award administration. (OCTOBER 2024) .......... 77
Section A. General requirement for subrecipient monitoring. ............................................................ 77
Section B. Subrecipient monitoring actions. ........................................................................................ 77
Section C. Remedies and subaward suspension or termination. ......................................................... 78
Section D. Subaward closeout. ............................................................................................................ 78
SUB Article XI. Requirements concerning subrecipients’ lower tier subawards. (SEPTEMBER 2017) ... 78
Section A. Purpose. ............................................................................................................................. 78
Section B. Requirements for lower tier subawards. ............................................................................ 79
SUB Article XII. Fixed amount subawards. (OCTOBER 2024) ................................................................. 79
Section A. Limitations on use.............................................................................................................. 79
Section B. Fixed-amount subawards that do not require prior approval to institutions of higher
education, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, States, local governments, or Indian
tribes. .................................................................................................................................................. 80
Section C. Informational content of fixed amount subawards.. .......................................................... 82
Section D. Terms and conditions addressing administrative requirements. ......................................... 82
Section E. National policy requirements for fixed amount subawards. .............................................. 84
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Section F. Subrecipient monitoring and other post-award administration.. ........................................ 84
Section G. Fixed-amount subawards at lower tiers. ............................................................................. 85
Part 7: National Policy Requirements ....................................................................................... 86
NP Article I. Nondiscrimination national policy requirements. (SEPTEMBER 2023) ................................ 86
Section A. Cross-cutting nondiscrimination requirements. ................................................................ 86
Section B. Other nondiscrimination requirements.. ............................................................................ 86
NP Article II. Environmental national policy requirements. (JANUARY 2021) ........................................ 86
Section A. Cross-cutting environmental requirements. ...................................................................... 86
Section B. Other environmental requirements. ................................................................................... 88
NP Article III. National policy requirements concerning live organisms. (JANUARY 2021)
Section A. Cross-cutting requirements concerning live organisms. ........................................................... 88
Section B. Failure to comply. ............................................................................................................. 90
Section C. Other requirements concerning live organisms. ................................................................ 90
NP Article IV. Other national policy requirements. (September 2021) ...................................................... 90
Section A. Cross-cutting requirements. .............................................................................................. 90
Section B. Additional requirements. .................................................................................................... 97
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Preamble
Introduction
This award is subject to the following Department of Defense (DoD) Research and Development
(R&D) General Terms and Conditions. These general terms and conditions implement Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles,
and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards,” published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at
2 CFR part 200 and implemented by the DoD at 2 CFR part 1104, “Interim Grants and Cooperative
Agreements Implementation of Guidance in 2 CFR part 200” (79 FR 76047, December 19, 2014, as
amended at 85 FR 49506, August 13, 2020).
Applicability
These general terms and conditions apply to DoD grants and cooperative agreements for R&D with
institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, States, local governments, Indian tribes, and
for-profit entities. They also apply when incorporated into DoD grants or cooperative agreements for
R&D with foreign organizations or foreign public entities (as defined in 2 CFR part 1108). These
general terms and conditions do not apply to DoD Grants and cooperative agreements for R&D made
directly to individuals. Certain provisions within these general terms and conditions may indicate that
they apply to certain types of recipients only. An example of this is FMS Article V for non-Federal
audits.
Order of Precedence
Any inconsistencies in the requirements of this award will be resolved in the following order:
(1) Federal statutes
(2) Federal regulations* not otherwise referenced herein
(3) Award-specific terms and conditions
(4) General Terms and Conditions, which include this document, the DoD Component’s
Addendum to this document, and the DoD Component’s Programmatic Requirements.
Award Acceptance
The DoD Component will select which of the following methods of acceptance it requires:
(1) If you receive an award from a DoD Component that is signed by a grants officer without
your entity having also signed the award, that means the award does not require your
signature to indicate acceptance of the award. Rather, your acceptance of the award in such
instances, including the terms and conditions, occurs when you initiate performance under
this award. Therefore, if you disagree with any requirements of this award, you must
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contact the grants officer prior to initiating performance in order to resolve the issue.
(2) If you receive an unsigned award from a DoD Component, that means that you are required
to sign the award to indicate acceptance of the award, including the terms and conditions, prior
to initiating performance. The grants officer will sign the award upon receipt of your signature.
English Language
You must translate any of the award content (including attachments to it and any material incorporated
into the award by reference) into another language only to the extent that your compliance with the
award’s terms and conditions depends upon a significant number of your employees who are not fluent
in English being able to read and comprehend that content. If you translate any award content into
another language, the original award content in the English language will take precedence in the event
of an inconsistency between the award requirements in the English and translated versions.
Plain Language
These general terms and conditions use plain language, with use of personal pronouns such as “you” to
denote the recipient and “we” to mean the Federal Government (Government). Use of personal
pronouns is a recognized means to help a reader understand to whom the language is addressed and
assist in determining responsibilities.
Reserved Provisions
If the words “RESERVED – Not Applicable” are used at the section or paragraph level of an article
without additional explanation, it means that this particular section or paragraph does not apply in
any manner to this award. If the word “RESERVED” is used with additional explanation (in bold red
colored font), it will describe whether the particular provisions either will or may be included in a
DoD Component addendum to these terms and conditions.
Definitions
The definitions of terms used in the DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions are in accordance with
2 CFR part 1108 of the DoDGARs or, for terms not defined in the DoDGARs, 2 CFR 200.1. Part 8
of the general terms and conditions may use a term in relation to compliance with a national policy
requirement in a statute, Executive order, or other source that defines the term differently than it is
defined in 2 CFR part 1108. For purposes of that particular national policy requirement, the
definition of a term provided by the source of the requirement and any regulation specifically
implementing it takes precedence over the definition in 2 CFR part 1108.
Feedback on the Terms and Conditions
As you gain operating experience with these general terms and conditions, you may find areas requiring
clarification or correction. Alerting us to potential issues will help us improve both these general terms
and conditions and DoD’s regulatory implementation of the OMB guidance at 2 CFR part 200.
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Part 1: Financial and Program Management
(articles from this part are designated with “FMS” in the article title)
FMS Article I. Financial management system standards. (JANUARY 2021)
Section A. System standard for States. As a State, you must expend and account for funds under this
award in accordance with:
1. Applicable State laws; and
2. To the extent they comply with the requirements of Section B of this Article, your procedures for
expending and accounting for your own State funds.
Section B. System standards for all recipients. Your financial management system must provide for:
1. Inclusion, in your accounts, of the following information about each DoD grant or cooperative
agreement that you receive:
a. That you received the award from the Department of Defense;
b. The number and title listed in the Assistance Listing (formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance) for the DoD program under which the award was made;
c. The DoD award number; and
d. The year (your fiscal year) in which you received the award.
2. Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of the award needed to comply with
financial and programmatic reporting requirements that are specified in REP Articles I and II of these
general terms and conditions, as supplemented by any award-specific terms and conditions of this
award concerning reporting requirements. If you are asked at any time under this award to report
financial information on an accrual basis, you:
a. Need not establish an accrual accounting system if you maintain your records on a different basis;
and
b. May develop the accrual data based on an analysis of the data you have on hand.
3. Records that identify adequately the sources of funds for all activities funded by DoD awards,
including any required cost sharing or matching, and the application of those funds. This includes
funding authorizations; your financial obligations and expenditures of the funds; unobligated
balances; property and other assets under the award; program income; and interest.
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4. Effective control over, and accountability for, all funds, property, and other assets under this award.
You must adequately safeguard all assets and assure they are used solely for authorized purposes (see
Section C of this article for additional requirements concerning internal controls).
5. Comparison of expenditures under this award for project or program purposes with amounts in the
approved budget for those purposes.
6. RESERVED – Not Applicable.
7. Written procedures:
a. To implement requirements specified in FMS Article II, “Payments;”
b. For determining the allowability of costs, which for this award are determined in accordance with
FMS Article III, “Allowable costs, period of availability of funds, and fee or profit,” of these
general terms and conditions, as supplemented by any award-specific terms and conditions of this
award that relate to allowability of costs.
Section C. Internal controls. Your system of internal controls must conform to OMB guidance in 2 CFR
200.303. With respect to paragraph (e) of 2 CFR 200.303, your internal control system must include
measures to safeguard any information that Federal statute, Executive order, or regulation requires to be
protected (e.g., personally identifiable or export-controlled information), whether generated under the
award or provided to you and identified as being subject to protection.
.
FMS Article II. Payments. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Awards to States. If the award-specific terms and conditions of this award do not identify it as
an award subject to Subpart A of 31 CFR part 205 (Department of the Treasury regulations implementing
the Cash Management Improvement Act), then this award is subject to Subpart B of that part. Consistent
with Subpart B of 31 CFR part 205:
1. Payment method, timing, and amounts. You must:
a. Minimize the time between your receipt of a payment under this award and your disbursement of
those funds for project or program purposes.
b. Limit the amount of each advance payment request to the minimum amount you need to meet
your actual, immediate cash requirements for carrying out the project or program.
c. Submit each advance payment request approximately 10 days before you anticipate disbursing the
requested amount for project or program purposes, so that your receipt of the funds will be as
close in time as is administratively feasible to your actual cash outlay for direct project or
program costs and the proportionate share of any allowable indirect costs.
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2. Interest. Unlike awards subject to Subpart A of 31 CFR part 205, neither you nor we will incur any
interest liability due to a difference in timing between your receipt of payments under this award and
your disbursement of those funds for project or program purposes.
a. You are required to return all interest in excess of $500 per year to the Federal government via
the Payment Management System (PMS) regardless of whether you were paid through the
PMS.
i. Instruction for returning interest can be found at https://pms.psc.gov/grant-
recipients/returning-funds-interest.html.
Section B. Awards to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, local governments,
Indian tribes, and for-profit entities.
2. Payment method. Unless the award-specific terms and conditions of this award provide otherwise,
you are authorized to request advance payments under this award. That authorization is contingent on
your continuing to maintain, or demonstrating the willingness to maintain, written procedures that
minimize the time elapsing between your receipt of each payment and your disbursement of the funds
for project or program purposes. Note that you are not required to request advance payments and may
instead, at your option, request reimbursements of funds after you disburse them for project or
program purposes.
3. Amounts requested. You must:
a. Limit the amount of any advance payment request to the minimum amount needed to meet your
actual, immediate cash requirements for carrying out the purpose of the approved project or
program, including direct project costs and a proportionate share of any allowable indirect costs.
b. Exclude from any payment request amounts you are withholding from payments to contractors to
assure satisfactory completion of the work. You may request those amounts when you make the
payments to the contractors or to escrow accounts established to assure satisfactory completion of
the work.
c. Exclude from any payment request amounts from any of the following sources that are available
to you for project or program purposes under this award: program income, including repayments
to a revolving fund; rebates; refunds; contract settlements; audit recoveries; and interest earned on
any of those funds. You must disburse those funds for project or program purposes before
requesting additional funds from us.
4. Timing of requests. For any advance payment you request, you should submit the request
approximately 10 days before you anticipate disbursing the requested amount for project or program
purposes. With time for agency processing of the request, that should result in payment as close as is
administratively feasible to your actual disbursements for project or program purposes.
5. Frequency of requests. You may request payments as often as you wish unless you have been
granted a waiver from requirements to receive payments by electronic funds transfer (EFT). If you
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have been granted a waiver from EFT requirements, the award-specific terms and conditions of this
award specify the frequency with which you may submit payment requests.
6. Withholding of payments. We will withhold payments for allowable costs under the award at any
time during the period of performance only if one or more of the following applies:
a. We suspend either payments or the award, or disallow otherwise allowable costs, as a remedy
under OAR Article III due to your failure to comply with Federal statutes, regulations, or the
terms and conditions of this award. If we suspend payments and not the award, we will release
withheld payments upon your subsequent compliance. If we suspend the award, then amounts of
payments are subject to adjustment in accordance with the terms and conditions of OAR Article
III.
b. You are delinquent in a debt to the United States, in which case we may, after reasonable notice,
inform you that we will not make any further payments for costs you incurred after a specified
date until you correct the conditions or liquidate the indebtedness to the Federal Government.
c. The award-specific terms and conditions include additional requirements that provide for
withholding of payments based on conditions identified during our pre-award risk evaluation, in
which case you should have been notified about the nature of those conditions and the actions
needed to remove the additional requirements.
7. Depository requirements.
a. There are no eligibility requirements for depositories you use for funds you receive under this
award.
b. You are not required to deposit funds you receive under this award in a depository account
separate from accounts in which you deposit other funds. However, FMS Article I requires that
you be able to account for the receipt, obligation, and expenditure of all funds under this award.
c. You must deposit any advance payments of funds you receive under this award in insured
accounts whenever possible and, unless any of the following apply, you must deposit them in
interest-bearing accounts:
i. You receive a total of less than $250,000 per year under Federal grants and cooperative
agreements.
ii. You would not expect the best reasonably available interest-bearing account to earn interest in
excess of $500 per year on your cash balances of advance payments under Federal grants and
cooperative agreements.
iii. The best reasonably available interest-bearing account would require you to maintain an
average or minimum balance higher than it would be feasible for you to do within your
expected Federal and non-Federal cash balances.
iv. A foreign government or banking system precludes your use of interest-bearing accounts.
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d. You may retain for administrative expenses up to $500 per year of interest that you earn in the
aggregate on advance payments you receive under this award and other Federal grants and
cooperative agreements. You must remit annually the rest of the interest to the Department of
Health and Human Services, Payment Management System, using the procedures set forth in
OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.305 (b)(9).
Section C. Electronic funds transfer and other payment procedural instructions or information.
1. Electronic funds transfer. Unless the award-specific terms and conditions of this award provide
otherwise, you will receive payments under this award by electronic funds transfer.
2. RESERVED – See Language in DoD Component addendum to these terms and conditions.
FMS Article III. Allowable costs, period of availability of funds, and fee or profit.
(SEPTEMBER 2017)
Section A. Allowable costs. This section, with the clarification provided in Section B, specifies which
Federal cost principles must be used in determining the allowability of costs charged to this award, a
subrecipient’s costs charged to any cost-type subaward that you make under this award, and a contractor’s
costs charged to any cost-type procurement transaction into which you enter under this award. These cost
principles also govern the allowable costs that you or a subrecipient of a subaward at any tier below this
award may consider when establishing the amount of any fixed-amount subaward or fixed-price
procurement transaction at the next lower tier. The set of cost principles to be used in each case depends on
the type of entity incurring the cost under the award, subaward, or contract.
1. General case. If you, your subrecipient, or your contractor is:
a. An institution of higher education. The allowability of costs must be determined in accordance with
provisions of Subpart E of OMB guidance in 2 CFR part 200 other than 2 CFR 200.400(g),
supplemented by appendix III to that part.
b. A hospital. The allowability of costs must be determined in accordance with provisions of
appendix IX to 2 CFR part 200, which currently specifies the cost principles in appendix IX to 45
CFR part 75 as the applicable cost principles.
c. A nonprofit organization other than a hospital or institution of higher education. The
allowability of costs must be determined in accordance with provisions of Subpart E of OMB
guidance in 2 CFR part 200 other than 2 CFR 200.400(g), supplemented by appendices IV and
VIII to that part. In accordance with guidance in 2 CFR 200.401(c), a nonprofit organization
listed in appendix VIII to 2 CFR part 200 is subject to the cost principles for for-profit entities
specified in paragraph 1.e of this section.
d. A State, local government, or Indian tribe. The allowability of costs must be determined in
accordance with applicable provisions of Subpart E of OMB guidance in 2 CFR part 200 other than
2 CFR 200.400(g), supplemented by appendices V through VII to that part.
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e. A for-profit entity (other than a hospital) or a nonprofit organization listed in appendix VIII to 2
CFR part 200:
i. The allowability of costs must be determined in accordance with:
(A) The cost principles for commercial organizations in the Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR) at Subpart 31.2 of 48 CFR part 31, as supplemented by provisions of the Defense
Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) at Subpart 231.2 of 48 CFR part
231; and
(B) For a for-profit entity, the additional provisions on allowability of audit costs, in 32 CFR
34.16(f).
ii. The indirect cost rate to use in that determination is:
(A) The for-profit entity’s federally negotiated indirect cost rate if it has one.
(B) Subject to negotiation between you and the for-profit entity if it does not have a federally
negotiated indirect cost rate. The rate that you negotiate may provide for reimbursement
only of costs that are allowable in accordance with the cost principles specified in
paragraph A.1.e.i of this article.
2. Exception. You may use your own cost principles in determining the allowability of a contractor’s
costs charged to a cost-type procurement transaction under this award—or in pricing for a fixed-price
contract based on estimated costs—as long as your cost principles comply with the Federal cost
principles that paragraph A.1 of this section identifies as applicable to the contractor.
Section B. Clarifications concerning charges for professional journal publications. RESERVED – Not
Applicable.
Section C. Period of availability of funds. You may charge to this award only:
1. Allowable costs incurred during the period of performance specified in this award, including any
subsequent amendments to it;
2. Any pre-award costs that you are authorized (by either the terms and conditions of FMS Article IV or
the DoD awarding official) to incur prior to the start of the period of performance, at your own risk,
for purposes of the project or program under this award; and
3. Costs of publishing in professional journals incurred after the period of performance, as permitted
under 2 CFR 200.461(b)(3), if:
a. We receive the request for payment for such costs no later than the date on which REP Article II
requires you to submit the final financial report to us (or, if we grant your request for an extension
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of the due date, that later date on which the report is due); and
b. Your reported expenditures on the final financial report include the amount you disbursed for
those costs.
Section D. Fee or profit.
1. You may not receive any fee or profit under this award.
2. You may not use funds available to you under this award to pay fee or profit for an entity of any type
to which you make a subaward.
3. You may pay fee or profit to an entity with which you enter into a procurement transaction to
purchase goods or general support services for your use in carrying out the project or program under
the award.
FMS Article IV. Revision of budget and program plans. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Approved budget. The approved budget of this award:
1. Is the most recent version of the budget that you submitted, and we approved (either at the time of the
initial award or a more recent amendment), to summarize planned expenditures for the project or
program.
2. Includes all Federal funding that we make available to you under this award to use for project or
program purposes and any cost sharing or matching that you are required to provide under this award
for those same purposes.
Section B. Revisions requiring prior approval from the Grants Officer.
1. You must request Grant Officer prior approval from us for any of the following program or budget
revisions in non-construction and construction activities:
a. A change in the scope or objective of the project or program under this award, even if there is no
associated budget revision that requires Grants Officer prior approval.
b. A change in a key person named in the award document.
c. The approved principal investigator’s or project director’s disengagement from the project for
more than three months, or a 25 percent reduction in his or her time devoted to the project.
d. The inclusion of direct costs that require prior approval in accordance with the applicable cost
principles, as identified in FMS Article III.
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i. The requirement for prior approval of equipment that is to be used primarily in carrying out
the project or program supported by the award is waived for equipment with a unit cost of
$25,000 or less.
e. RESERVED – See Language in DoD Component addendum to these terms and conditions.
f. A subaward to another entity under which it will perform a portion of the substantive project or
program under the award, if it was not included in the approved budget. This does not apply to
your contracts for acquisition of supplies, equipment, or general support services you need to
carry out the program.
g. Any change in the cost sharing or matching you provide under the award, as included in the
approved budget, for which FMS Article VI requires prior approval.
h. RESERVED – Not Applicable.
i. The need arises for additional Federal funds to complete the project or program.
2. Funding transfers between construction and non-construction activities. RESERVED - Only
applicable if provided in DoD Component addendum to these terms and conditions or award
specific terms and conditions.
Section C. Pre-award costs, carry forward of unobligated balances, and one-time no-cost extensions.
You are authorized, without requesting prior approval from us, to:
1. Charge to this award after you receive it pre-award costs that you incurred, at your own risk, up to 90
calendar days before the start date of the period of performance, as long as they are costs that would
be allowable charges to the project or program under the terms and conditions of FMS Article III if
they were incurred during the period of performance.
2. Carry forward an unobligated balance to a subsequent budget period under this award.
3. RESERVED – Only applicable if provided in DoD Component addendum to these terms and
conditions.
Section D. Procedures.
1. We will review each request you submit for prior approval for a budget or program change and,
within 30 calendar days of our receipt of your request, we will respond to you in writing to either:
a. Notify you whether your request is approved; or
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b. Inform you that we still are considering the request, in which case we will let you know when
you may expect our decision.
2. RESERVED - See Language in DoD Component addendum to these terms and conditions.
FMS Article V. Non-Federal audits. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Requirements for entities subject to the Single Audit Act. You and each subrecipient under
this award that is an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, State, local government, or
Indian tribe must comply with the audit requirements specified in Subpart F of 2 CFR part 200, which is
the OMB implementation of the Single Audit Act, as amended (31 U.S.C. chapter 75).
Section B. Requirements for for-profit entities. If you are a for-profit entity, you are subject to the audit
requirements specified in 32 CFR 34.16. Any for-profit entity that receives a subaward from you under this
award is also subject to those audit requirements. The provisions of 32 CFR 34.16 will be revised to
indicate that the audit requirement threshold is $1,000,000 or more of expenditures under federal awards in
a year. Your subaward terms and conditions will require the subrecipient to provide the reports to you if it
is willing to do so, so that you can resolve audit findings that pertain specifically to your subaward (e. g.,
disallowance of costs). If the for-profit entity is unwilling to agree to provide the auditor’s report to you,
contact the grants officer for this award to discuss an alternative approach for carrying out audit oversight
of the subaward. If the grants officer does not provide an alternative approach within 30 days of receiving
your request, you may determine an approach to ensure the for-profit subrecipient’s compliance with the
subaward terms and conditions, as described in OMB guidance at 2 CFR 200.501(i).
FMS Article VI. Cost sharing or matching. (SEPTEMBER 2023)
Section A. Required cost sharing or matching.
1. If any cost sharing or matching is required under this award, the total amount or percentage required is
shown in the award cover pages and included in the approved budget. That cost sharing or matching
includes all:
a. Cash and third-party in-kind contributions.
b. Contributions to the project or program made either by or through (if made by a third party) you
and any subrecipients.
2. You must obtain Grants Officer prior approval if you wish to:
a. Change the amount or percentage of cost sharing or matching required under this award.
b. RESERVED - Only applicable if provided in DoD Component addendum to theseterms and
conditions.
Section B. Allowability as cost sharing or matching. Each cash or third-party in-kind contribution toward
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any cost sharing or matching required under this award, whether put forward by you or a subrecipient
under a subaward that you make, is allowable as cost sharing or matching if:
1. You (or the subrecipient, if it is a subrecipient contribution) maintain records from which one
may verify that the contribution was made to the project or program and, if it is a third-party in-
kind contribution, its value.
2. The contribution is not counted as cost sharing or matching for any other Federal award.
3. The contribution is:
a. Allowable under the cost principles applicable to you (or the subrecipient, if it is a subrecipient
contribution) under FMS Article III of these terms and conditions; and
b. Allocable to the project or program and reasonable.
4. The Government does not pay for the contribution through another Federal award, unless that award is
under a program that has a federal statute authorizing application of that program’s Federal funds to
other Federal programs’ cost sharing or matching requirements.
5. The value of the contribution is not reimbursed by the Federal share of this award as either a direct or
indirect cost.
6. The contribution conforms to the other terms and conditions of this award, including the award
specific terms and conditions.
Section C. Allowability of unrecovered indirect costs as cost sharing or matching. You may use your
own or a subrecipient’s unrecovered indirect costs as cost sharing or matching under this award.
1. Unrecovered indirect costs mean the difference between the amount of indirect costs charged to
the award and the amount that you and any subrecipients could have charged in accordance with
your respective approved indirect cost rates, whether those rates are negotiated or de minimis (as
described in 2 CFR 200.414(f)).
Section D. Allowability of program income as cost sharing or matching.
1. If FMS Article VII of these general terms and conditions or the award-specific terms and
conditions of this award specify that you are to use some or all of the program income you earn to
meet cost-sharing or matching requirements under the award, then program income is allowable
as cost sharing or matching to the extent specified in those award terms and conditions.
Section E. Valuation of services or property that you or subrecipients contribute or donate.
1. You must establish values for services or property contributed or donated toward cost sharing or
matching by you or subrecipients in accordance with the provisions of this section. These
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contributions or donations are distinct from third-party contributions or donations to you or
subrecipients, which are addressed in Section F of this article.
2. Usual valuation of services or property that you or subrecipients contribute or donate. Values
established for contributions of services or property by you or a subrecipient must be the amounts
allowable in accordance with the cost principles applicable to the entity making the contribution (i.e.,
you or the subrecipient), as identified in FMS Article III. For property, that generally is depreciation.
3. Needed approvals for, and valuation of, property that you or subrecipients donate.
a. Types of property that may be donated.
i. Buildings or land. If the purposes of this award include construction, facilities acquisition, or
long-term use of real property, you may donate buildings or land to the project if you obtain
Grants Officer prior approval. Donation of property to the project, as described in PROP
Article I, means counting the value of the property toward cost sharing or matching, rather
than charging depreciation.
ii. Other capital assets. If you obtain Grants Officer prior approval, you may donate to the
project other capital assets identified in 2 CFR 200.439(b)(1) through (3).
b. Usual valuation of donated property. Unless you obtain our approval as described in paragraph
E.2.c of this article, the value for the donated property must be the lesser of:
i. The value of the remaining life of the property recorded in your accounting records at the time
of donation, or
ii. The current fair market value.
b. Approval needed for alternative valuation of property. If you obtain our approval as reflected in
the approved budget, you may count as cost sharing or matching the current fair market value of the
donated property even if it exceeds the value of the remaining life of the property recorded in your
accounting records at the time of donation.
c. Federal interest in donated property. Donating buildings, land, or other property to the project,
rather than charging depreciation, results in a federal interest in the property in accordance with
PROP Article I of these terms and conditions.
Section F. Valuation of third-party in-kind contributions.
1. General. If a third party furnishes goods or services to you or subrecipients that are to be counted
toward cost sharing or matching under this award, the entity to which the third party furnishes the
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goods or services (i.e., you or a subrecipient) must document the fair market value of those in-kind
contributions and, to the extent feasible, support those values using the same methods the entity uses
internally.
2. Valuation of third-party services. You must establish values for third-party volunteer services and
services of third parties’ employees furnished to you or subrecipients as follows:
a. Volunteer services. Volunteer services furnished by third-party professional and technical
personnel, consultants, and other skilled and unskilled labor must be valued in accordance with 2
CFR 200.306(e).
b. Services of third parties’ employees. When a third-party organization furnishes the services of
its employees to you or a subrecipient, values for the contributions must be established in
accordance with 2 CFR 200.306(f).
c. Additional requirement for donations to nonprofit organizations. For volunteer services or
services of third parties’ employees furnished to a nonprofit organization:
i. OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.434(e) also applies and may require the nonprofit organization
to allocate a proportionate share of its applicable indirect costs to the donated services.
ii. The indirect costs that the nonprofit organization allocates to the donated services in that case
must be considered project costs and may be either reimbursed under the award or counted
toward required cost sharing or matching, but not both.
3. Valuation of third-party property. You must establish values for third-party property furnished to
you or subrecipients as follows:
a. Supplies donated by third parties. When a third-party organization donates supplies (e.g.,
office, laboratory, workshop, or classroom supplies), the value that may be counted toward cost
sharing or matching may not exceed the fair market value of the supplies at the time of donation.
i. Equipment, buildings, or land donated by third parties. The value of third-party donations of
equipment, buildings, or land that may be counted toward cost sharing or matching when the
third party transferred title to you or a subrecipient depends on the purpose of the award in
accordance with the following:
(A) If one of the purposes of the award is to assist you or the subrecipient in the acquisition of
equipment, buildings, or land, you may count the aggregate fair market value of the
donated property toward cost sharing or matching.
(B) If the award’s purposes instead include only the support of activities that require the use
of equipment, buildings, or land, you may only charge depreciation unless you obtain
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Grants Officer prior approval to count as cost sharing or matching the fair market value
of equipment or other capital assets and fair rental charges for land.
ii. The values of the donated property must be determined in accordance with the usual
accounting policies of the entity to which the third party transferred title to the property, with
the qualifications specified in 2 CFR 200.306(i)(1) and (2) for donated land and buildings and
donated equipment, respectively.
b. Use of space donated by third parties. If a third party makes space available for use by you or
a subrecipient, the value that you may count toward cost sharing or matching may not exceed the
fair rental value of comparable space as established by an independent appraisal, as described in 2
CFR 200.306(i)(3).
c. Equipment loaned by third parties. If a third-party loans equipment for use by you or a
subrecipient, the value that you may count toward cost sharing or matching may not exceed its
fair rental value.
FMS Article VII. Program income. (SEPTEMBER 2017)
Section A. Definition. The term “program income” as used in this award:
1. Is gross income that:
a. You earn that is directly generated by a supported activity or earned as a result of this award; or
b. A subrecipient earns as a result of a subaward you make under this award.
2. Includes, but is not limited to, income earned under this award from:
a. Fees for services performed;
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b. The use or rental of real or personal property acquired under any Federal award and currently
administered under this award;
c. The sale of commodities or items fabricated under this award; and
d. License fees and royalties on patents and copyrights;
e. Payments of principal and interest on loans made with Federal award funds.
3. Does not include for purposes of this award any:
a. Interest earned on advance payments, disposition of which is addressed in FMS Article II;
b. Proceeds from the sale of real property, equipment or supplies, which is addressed in PROP
Articles III and IV;
c. Rebates, credits, discounts, and interest earned on any of them; and
d. Governmental revenues, including any taxes, special assessments, levies, fines, and similar
revenues you raise.
Section B. Encouragement to earn program income. You are encouraged to earn program income under
this award when doing so does not interfere with the project or program the award supports.
Section C. Costs of generating program income. You may deduct costs incidental to the generation of
program income from the amount that you use in accordance with Section E of this Article, as long as
those costs are not charged to this award (which includes their being counted toward any cost sharing or
matching you are required to provide).
Section D. License fees and royalties. You have no obligations to the Federal Government with respect to
program income earned under this award from license fees and royalties for patents or patent applications,
copyrights, trademarks, or inventions developed or produced under the award.
Section E. Use of program income.
1. You must use any program income that you earn during the period of performance under this award to
increase the amount of the award (the sum of the Federal share and any cost sharing or matching you
are required to provide), thereby increasing the amount budgeted for the project or program. The
program income must be used for the purposes and under the terms and conditions of the award.
2. Your use of the additional funding is subject to the terms and conditions of this award, including:
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a. FMS Article II concerning your use of balances of program income before you request additional
funds from us; and
b. FMS Article III concerning allowability of costs for which the funds may be used.
3. You must report on each Federal Financial Report (SF-425) that you submit in accordance with REP
Article II the program income that you earn and any that you use during the reporting period covered
by that SF-425.
Section F. Duration of accountability for program income.
The requirements concerning disposition of program income in Section E of this Article apply only to
program income you or your subrecipients earn during the period of performance. There are no
requirements under this award applicable to program income you or your subrecipients earn after the end
of the period of performance.
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Part 2: Property Administration
(articles from this part are designated with “PROP” in the article title)
PROP Article I. Title to property. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Title to property acquired under this award.
1. General. Other than any property identified in paragraph A.2 of this section as exempt property:
a. Title to real property, equipment, and supplies that you acquire (whether by purchase,
construction or fabrication, development, or otherwise) and charge as direct project costs under
this award vests in you, the recipient. Title to intangible property that you acquire (other than by
developing or producing it) under this award also vests in you.
b. That title is a conditional title, meaning a clear title withheld until the terms and conditions in PROP
Articles II-IV, Section D of PROP Article VI, and REP Article III of this award have been
fulfilled.
c. There is a federal interest in the property, other than intangible property that you develop or
produce under the award. For real property, equipment, and intangible property, we retain this
Federal interest until final disposition of the property under PROP Article III (for real property),
PROP Article IV (for equipment), or Section D of PROP Article VI (for intangible property that is
acquired, other than by developing or producing it), a period that in some cases may extend
beyond closeout of this award.
2. Exempt property. For an award to conduct basic or applied research with a nonprofit institution of
higher education or nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is conducting scientific research,
title to all equipment and supplies acquired under the award and charged as direct costs to the project
or program shall vest with you upon acquisition subject only to the following three conditions:
a. You use the equipment for the authorized purposes of the project or program until the property is
no longer needed for those purposes.
b. You manage the equipment as provided in PROP Article II of these general terms and conditions.
This includes maintaining property records that include the percentage of Federal participation in
the costs of the project or program under which you acquired the exempt property, so that you
may deduct the Federal share if you wish to use the property in future contributions for cost
sharing or matching purposes on Federal awards.
c. The DoD Component reserves the right to transfer title to the equipment to another recipient entity
if the Principal Investigator relocates his or her research program to that entity.
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Section B. Property trust relationship.
1. Basic requirement. Other than intangible property that you develop or produce under the award, you
hold any real property, equipment, or intangible property that you acquire or improve under this
award in trust for the beneficiaries of the project or program that you are carrying out under the
award.
2. Notices of record. RESERVED - Only applicable if provided in DoD Component addendum to
these terms and conditions or award-specific terms and conditions.
Section C. Federally owned property. Title to any federally owned property that we provide to you under
this award (or such property for which accountability is transferred to this award from another Federal
award) remains with the Government.
Section D. Federal interest in donated real property or equipment.
If real property or equipment is acquired under this award through your donation of the property to the
project or program (i.e., counting the value of the remaining life of the property recorded in your
accounting records or the fair market value as permitted under FMS Article VI of this award as part of
your share of project costs to meet any cost sharing or matching requirements, rather than charging
depreciation):
1. The Government acquires a federal interest in the real property or equipment that is donated for use in
the project or program.
2. The real property or equipment is subject to Section B of this article and the terms and conditions of
PROP Articles II-IV and REP Article III that are applicable to property acquired under the award.
3. The Federal interest in the real property or equipment must be addressed at the time of property
disposition.
Section E. Federal interest in property improved under the award.
1. The Government has an interest in improvements (as distinct from ordinary repairs and maintenance)
you make to an item of real property or equipment if you charge the costs of the improvements as
direct costs to this award.
2. We thereby acquire an interest in the property if the Government did not previously have one. If the
Government already had an interest in the property, the value of that Federal interest in the property
increases by the amount of the Federal interest in the improvements.
3. The property is subject to Section B of this article and the terms and conditions of PROP Articles II-IV
and REP Article III that are applicable to real property or equipment acquired under the award.
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4. The Federal interest must be addressed at the time of property disposition.
PROP Article II. Property management system. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Insurance coverage for real property and equipment. You must, at a minimum, provide the
equivalent insurance coverage for real property and equipment acquired or improved under this award as
you provide for real property and equipment that you own.
Section B. Other management system standards for a State.
1. Equipment. Your property management system for equipment acquired or improved in whole or in
part under this award must be in accordance with your state laws and procedures.
2. Federally owned property. You may use your own property management system for any federally
owned property for which you are accountable, as long as it meets the following minimum standards:
a. Records. Your records must include for each item of federally owned property:
i. A description of the item.
ii. The location of the item.
iii. The serial or other identification number.
iv. Which Federal agency holds title.
v. The date you received the item.
vi. Any data on the ultimate disposition of the item, such as the date of disposal.
vii. The Federal award identification number of the award under which you are accountable for
the item.
b. Inventory. You must take a physical inventory of federally owned property at least annually and
reconcile the results with your records.
c. Control system. You must:
i. Maintain an internal property control system with adequate safeguards to prevent loss,
damage, or theft of federally owned property.
ii. Investigate any loss, damage, or theft of federally owned property and promptly notify the
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award administration office.
d. Maintenance. You must maintain the property in good condition.
Section C. Other management system standards for an institution of higher education, nonprofit
organization, local government, Indian tribe, or for-profit entity. Your procedures for managing
equipment (including replacement equipment) acquired or improved in whole or in part under this award
and any federally owned property for which you are accountable under this award must, as a minimum,
meet the requirements in this section. You are responsible for maintaining and updating property records
when there is a change in the status of the property.
1. Records. You must maintain records that include for each item of equipment or federally owned
property:
a. A description of the item.
b. The serial or other identification number.
c. Who holds title (e.g., you or the Government and, if the latter, which Federal agency).
d. The source of funding for the equipment, including the award number, or the source of the
federally owned property, including the award number of the award under which you are
accountable for the property.
e. The acquisition date and cost of the equipment (or improvement to the equipment) or the date you
received the federally owned property.
f. The location, use, and condition of the equipment or federally owned property.
g. Information from which one can calculate the amount of the Federal interest in the acquisition or
improvement of the item (this amount is zero after you compensate us for the Federal interest in
the item or improvement).
h. Any data on the ultimate disposition of the item including the date of disposal and sale price.
2. Labelling. You must ensure that property owned by the Federal Government is labeled to identify it
as federally owned property.
3. Inventory. You must take a physical inventory of equipment in which there is a federal interest and
reconcile the results with your records at least once every 2 years.
4. Control system. You must:
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a. Maintain an internal property control system with adequate safeguards to prevent loss, damage, or
theft of equipment and federally owned property.
b. Investigate any loss, damage, or theft and notify the award administration office if it involved
equipment in which there is a federal interest under the award or federally owned property.
5. Maintenance. You must maintain equipment acquired or improved in whole or in part under the
award and federally owned property in good condition.
PROP Article III. Use and disposition of real property. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Use of real property.
1. Except as otherwise provided by Federal statutes or the Federal agency, you must use real
property acquired or improved under this award for the originally authorized purpose as long
as needed for that purpose. During that time, you may not:
a. Dispose of the property except, with the prior approval of the award administration office, to
acquire replacement property under this award, in which case you may use the proceeds from the
disposition as an offset to the cost of the replacement property; or
b. Encumber the title or other interests in the property without the prior approval of the award
administration office. Easements for utility, cable, and similar services that benefit the real
property and are consistent with the authorized use are not considered an encumbrance.
2. RESERVED – Not Applicable.
3. RESERVED – Not Applicable.
Section B. Disposition of real property. When you no longer need real property for the originally
authorized purpose, you must obtain disposition instructions from the Federal agency or pass-through
entity except as provided in any paragraph A.3 of this article. Those instructions will provide for one of the
following three alternatives, which are that you:
1. Retain title after compensating the Federal agency the Federal interest in the property, which is to be
computed as specified in the definition of “Federal interest.”
2. Sell the property and compensate the Federal agency the Federal interest in the property, as
described in 2 CFR 200.311(c)(2).
3. Transfer title to us or a third party we designate, as described in 2 CFR 200.311(c)(3).
Section C. Appraisals. The recipient or subrecipient is required to obtain an independent appraiser
whenever an appraisal of real property is required, except as provided in the implementing regulations at
49 CFR part 24, “Uniform Relocation Assistance And Real Property Acquisition For Federal And
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Federally-Assisted Programs.”
PROP Article IV. Use and disposition of equipment and supplies. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Property subject to this article. This article specifies requirements for use and disposition of
equipment and supplies. If a provision of PROP Article I of this award identifies any type of equipment or
supplies as exempt property, requirements of this Article apply to that exempt property only to the extent
specified in that provision of PROP Article I or an award-specific term or condition. The types of non-
exempt property to which this article applies are:
1. Supplies that you acquire either by purchase or by donation as cost sharing or matching under this
award; and
2. Equipment for which title is vested conditionally in you. That includes equipment with a conditional
title resulting from your having, either under this award or under a previous award from which you
transferred accountability for the equipment to this award:
a. Directly charged as project costs, in whole or in part, the acquisition (by purchase, construction or
fabrication, or development) of equipment;
b. Donated the equipment to the project or program by counting the value of the remaining life of
the property recorded in your accounting records or the fair market value toward any cost sharing
or matching requirements under the award, rather than charging depreciation (see PROP Article I,
Section D); or
c. Directly charged as project costs improvements to the equipment that meet the criteria given in
paragraph E.1 of PROP Article I.
Section B. Requirements for a State’s use and disposition of equipment. You:
1. Must use the equipment for the authorized purposes of the project or program during the period of
performance, or until the property is no longer needed for those purposes.
2. May not encumber the property without the prior approval of the award administration office.
3. Must use and dispose of the equipment in accordance with your state laws and procedures.
Section C. Use of equipment by an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, local
government, Indian tribe, or for-profit entity. You:
1. Must use the equipment for the authorized purposes of the project or program under this award until
the equipment is no longer needed for those purposes, whether or not the project or program continues
to be supported by this award.
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2. May not encumber the equipment without the prior approval of the award administration office.
a. During the time that the equipment is used for the project or program under this award:
i. Must make the equipment available for use on other projects or programs but only if
that use will not interfere with the equipment’s use as needed for the project or program
supported by this award.
ii. First preference must be given to other projects or programs supported or previously
supported by DoD Components and second preference to those supported or previously
supported by other Federal agencies.
iii. Third preference is for other projects or programs not supported by the Federal Government.
You should charge user fees for use of the equipment in those cases, if it is at all practicable.
b. May use the equipment, if you need to acquire replacement equipment, as a trade-in or sell it (using
sales procedures designed to ensure the highest possible return) and use the proceeds from the sale
to offset the cost of the replacement equipment.
3. When the equipment is no longer needed for the project or program under this award, you may defer
final disposition of the equipment and continue to use it on other federally sponsored projects or
programs. You must give first priority to other projects or programs supported by DoD
Components.
4. Notwithstanding the encouragement in FMS Article VII to earn program income, you may not use
equipment in which there currently is a federal interest--whether you acquired it under this award or
are otherwise accountable for it under this award--to provide services for a fee that is less than private
companies charge for equivalent services.
5. Indian tribes must use and manage equipment acquired under the award in accordance with tribal
laws and procedures. If such laws and procedures do not exist, Indian tribes must follow the
guidance in paragraphs 1-5 of this section.
Section D. Disposition of equipment by an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization,
local government, Indian tribe, or for-profit entity. You must request disposition instructions from the
award administration office when either original or replacement equipment acquired under this award with
a current fair market value that exceeds $10,000 is no longer needed for the original project or program or
for other federally sponsored activities as described in paragraph C.4 of this article. For each item of
equipment with a current fair market value of $10,000 or less, you may retain, sell, or otherwise dispose of
the item with no further obligation to the Federal Government.
1. We may issue disposition instructions that:
a. Allow you to retain or sell any item of equipment after compensating us for the Federal interest in
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the property, which is to be computed as specified in the definition of “Federal interest;” or
b. Require you to transfer title to the equipment to a federal agency or a third party, in which case you
are entitled to compensation from us for the non-Federal interest in the equipment, plus any
reasonable shipping or interim storage costs incurred.
2. If we fail to provide disposition instructions for any item of equipment within 120 calendar days of
receiving your request, you may retain or sell the equipment, but you must compensate us for the
amount of the Federal interest in the equipment.
3. If you sell the equipment:
a. You must use sales procedures designed to ensure the highest possible return; and
b. You may deduct and retain for selling and handling expenses $1,000 of the proceeds,
whichever is less.
4. Indian tribes must dispose of equipment acquired under the award in accordance with tribal laws
and procedures. If such laws and procedures do not exist, Indian tribes must follow the guidance
in paragraphs 1-3 of this section.
Section E. Use and disposition of supplies acquired under this award.
1. Use. As long as we retain a Federal interest in supplies acquired under this award either by purchase
or by donation as cost sharing or matching, you may not use the supplies to provide services to other
organizations for a fee that is less than private companies charge for equivalent services,
notwithstanding the encouragement in FMS Article VII to earn program income.
2. Disposition. If you have a residual inventory of unused supplies with aggregate value exceeding
$10,000 at the end of the period of performance under this award, and the supplies are not needed for
any other Federal award, you may retain the supplies or sell them but must in either case compensate
us for the amount of the Federal interest in the supplies. The aggregate value of unused supplies
consists of all supply types, not just like-item supplies. You are entitled to compensation in an amount
calculated by multiplying the percentage of your contribution towards the cost of the original
purchase(s) by the current market value or proceeds from the sale. You may deduct and retain for
selling and handling expenses up to $1,000 of the proceeds.
PROP Article V. Use and disposition of federally owned property. (SEPTEMBER 2017)
Section A. Use. During the time that federally owned property for which you are accountable under
this award is used for the project or program supported by the award, you:
1. Also, may make the property available for use on other federally supported projects or programs, but
only if that use will not interfere with the property’s use for the project or program supported by this
award. You must give first priority to other projects or programs supported by DoD Components.
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2. May use the property for purposes other than federally supported projects or programs only with the
prior approval of the awarding office or, if you request approval after the award is made, the award
administration office.
Section B. Disposition. You must request disposition instructions from the award administration
office for any federally owned property under this award, including any property for which a
subrecipient is accountable under a subaward you make under this award, either:
1. At any time during the period of performance if the property is no longer needed for the project or
program supported by this award; or
2. At the end of the period of performance.
PROP Article VI. Intangible property. (SEPTEMBER 2023)
Section A. Assertion of copyright.
1. You may assert copyright in any work that is eligible for copyright protection if you acquire
ownership of it under this award, either by developing it or otherwise.
2. With respect to any work in which you assert copyright, as described in paragraph A.1 of this section,
DoD reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to:
a. Reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal Government purposes; and
b. Authorize others to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal Government
purposes.
Section B. Inventions developed under the award.
1. Applicability of Governmentwide clause for research awards. You must comply with the
Governmentwide patent rights award clause at 37 CFR 401.14, with the modifications described in
paragraph B.2 of this section. DoD adopts that Governmentwide clause for the following entities,
thereby broadening the applicability beyond types of entities included in the definition of “contractor”
in 37 CFR part 401: any institution of higher education, non-profit organization, State, local
government, Indian tribe, for-profit entity, foreign organization, or foreign public entity receiving a
DoD award or subaward for the performance of experimental, research, or developmental work.
2. Modifications to the wording of the Governmentwide clause. DoD adopts the Governmentwide
clause at 37 CFR 401.14, as described in paragraph B.1 of this section, with the following
modifications:
a. Terminology. Throughout the Governmentwide award clause:
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i. Insert the terms “recipient” and “subrecipient (or contractor to the recipient or to a
subrecipient)” to replace the terms “contractor” and “subcontractor,” respectively.
ii. Insert the terms “award” and “subaward (or contract under either the award or a subaward)” to
replace the terms “contract” and “subcontract,” respectively.
b. Final report. Add a new subparagraph (f)(5) to read, “The recipient must submit a final report
listing all subject inventions made under the award or stating that there were none. The final
report is due 120 calendar days after the end date of the period of performance unless you request,
and we grant an extension of the due date.”
c. Broadening applicability to all entities. Delete paragraphs (g)(2) and (3) of the Governmentwide
clause, redesignate paragraph (g)(1) as paragraph (g), and delete the phrase “to be performed by a small
business firm or domestic nonprofit organization” from paragraph (g) as redesignated.
Section C. Data produced under the award.
1. Data in general. The Federal Government has the right to:
a. Obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data produced under this award; and
b. Authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data produced under this
award for Federal Government purposes.
2. Research data requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
a. If we receive a request under the FOIA for “research data” that are related to “published research
findings” produced under this award and that were “used by the Federal Government in
developing an agency action that has the force and effect of law,” you must provide the data to us
within a reasonable time after we request it from you, so that the data can be made available to
the public through procedures established under the FOIA.
b. For purposes of the requirement in paragraph C.2.a of this section, 2 CFR 200.315(e) provides
definitions of the phrases “published research findings,” “used by the Federal Government in
developing an agency action that has the force and effect of law,” and “research data.”
Section D. Use and disposition of intangible property acquired, but not developed or produced, under
the award.
1. Applicability. This section applies to a patent, patent application, copyright, or other intangible
property acquired, but not developed or produced, under this award.
2. Use. You:
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a. Must use the intangible property for the authorized purpose under this award until the intangible
property is no longer needed for that purpose, whether or not that purpose is still being supported
by this award.
b. May not encumber the intangible property without the prior approval of the award administration
office.
3. Disposition. When the intangible property is no longer needed for the originally authorized purpose,
you must contact the award administration office to arrange for disposition in accordance with the
procedures specified for disposition of equipment in either Section B or D of PROP Article IV, as
applicable.
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Part 3: Procurement
(articles from this part are designated with “PROC” in the article title)
PROC Article I. Procurement standards for States. (JANUARY 2021)
Section A. Use of State procurement system. Subject only to the conditions in Sections B through D of
this article, you must use the same policies and procedures to procure supplies, equipment, real property,
and services under this award that you use when you procure those items for State purposes using non-
Federal funds.
Section B. Procurement of recovered materials. You must comply with the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act requirements described in OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.323.
Section C. Debarment and suspension. You must comply with restrictions on awarding procurement
transactions to excluded or disqualified parties and other requirements specified by OMB guidelines on
nonprocurement debarment and suspension at 2 CFR part 180, as implemented by DoD at 2 CFR part
1125.
Section D. Contract provisions. You must include provisions in your procurement transactions under this
award to require the contractors’ compliance with the requirements specified in PROC Article III, as
applicable.
PROC Article II. Procurement standards for Indian Tribes (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Use of Tribal procurement system. Subject only to the conditions in Sections B and
C of this article, you must use the same policies and procedures to procure supplies, equipment,
real property, and services under this award that you use when you procure those items for Tribal
purposes using non-Federal funds.
Section B. Debarment and suspension. You must comply with restrictions on awarding
procurement transactions to excluded or disqualified parties and other requirements specified by
OMB guidelines on nonprocurement debarment and suspension at 2 CFR part 180, as
implemented by DoD at 2 CFR part 1125.
Section C. Contract provisions. You must include provisions in your procurement transactions
under this award to require the contractors’ compliance with the requirements specified in PROC
Article IV, as applicable.
PROC Article III. Procurement standards for institutions of higher education, nonprofit
organizations, local governments, and for-profit entities. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. General procurement standards.
1. For procurement under this award, you must comply with the OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.318.
2. You must do business only with responsible contractors who are able to perform, as described in
OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.318(h). Related to that, you must comply with restrictions on awarding
procurement transactions to excluded or disqualified parties and other requirements specified by
OMB guidelines on nonprocurement debarment and suspension at 2 CFR part 180, as implemented
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by DoD at 2 CFR part 1125.
Section B. Competition. You must award procurement transactions under this award in accordance with
the competition requirements described in OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.319.
Section C. Procurement methods. You must award procurement transactions under this award using
methods described in OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.320.
Section D. Contracting with small businesses, minority businesses, women’s business enterprises,
veteran-owned businesses, and labor surplus area firms. You must take the affirmative steps described
in OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.321 when awarding procurement transactions under this award.
Section E. Contract cost and price. When awarding a procurement transaction under this award, you must
follow the procedures related to cost and price that are described in OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.324,
using the applicable cost principles specified in FMS Article III.
Section F. Contract provisions. You must include provisions in your procurement transactions under this
award to require the contractors’ compliance with the requirements of PROC Article IV, as applicable.
Section G. Procurement of recovered materials. If you are a political subdivision of a State, you must
comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements described in OMB guidance in 2
CFR 200.323.
Section H. Review of procurement documents. Upon our request, you must make available:
1. Technical specifications on proposed procurement transactions, as described in 2 CFR 200.325(a).
2. Pre-procurement documents for our review, as described in 2 CFR 200.325(b) unless you are exempt
from that requirement under 2 CFR 200.325(c).
Section I. Domestic preferences for procurements. As appropriate and to the extent consistent with
law, you should, to the greatest extent practicable under this award, provide a preference for the purchase,
acquisition, or use of goods, products, or materials produced in the United States (including but not
limited to iron, aluminum, steel, cement, and other manufactured products). This must be included in all
subawards including all contracts and purchase orders for work or products under this award.
Section J. Bonding requirements. RESERVED - Only applicable if provided in DoD Component
addendum to these terms and conditions or award-specific terms and conditions.
PROC Article IV. Contract provisions for recipient procurements. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Contract provisions for administrative requirements.
1. Remedies. In any contract under this award for an amount in excess of the simplified acquisition
threshold, you must provide for administrative, contractual, or legal remedies, including any
appropriate sanctions and penalties, when the contractor violates or breaches the contract terms.
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2. Termination. In any contract for an amount in excess of $10,000, you must specify: conditions under
which you may terminate the contract for cause or convenience; the procedures for termination; and
the basis to be used for settlement.
3. Allowable costs under cost-type contracts. In any cost-type contract with an entity, you must
include a clause to permit the entity to charge to the contract only costs that are allowable under the
cost principles that FMS Article III identifies as applicable to that type of entity, as supplemented by
any award-specific terms and conditions related to allowability of costs that are included in this
award. Your contract clause may permit the contractor to use its own cost principles in determining
the allowability of its costs charged to the contract, as long as its cost principles comply with those
Federal cost principles supplemented by any award-specific terms and conditions of this award.
4. Rights in copyright and data. You must include in each contract under this award a provision
requiring that the contractor:
a. Grant the Government a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable right to:
i. Reproduce, publish, or otherwise use for Federal purposes any work that is subject to
copyright and that the contractor develops, or acquires ownership of, under this award;
ii. Authorize others to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such work for Federal purposes; and
b. Grant the Government the right to:
i. Obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use data produced under this award;
ii. Authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for Federal
purposes; and
c. Include the Government rights described in subparagraphs 4.a. and 4.b. of this section in any
subcontracts.
5. Access to records.
a. In any negotiated, cost-type or time and materials contract for an amount in excess of the
simplified acquisition threshold, you must provide for access to any of the contractor’s books,
documents, papers, and records that are directly pertinent to that contract, to enable and support
audits, examinations, excerpts, and transcriptions. The contract provision must provide access to
those records for all of the following and their duly authorized representatives:
i. You;
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ii. Us as the Federal awarding agency, including our Inspector General; and
iii. The Comptroller General of the United States.
b. In any audit services contract for performance of an audit required by the Single Audit Act, as
implemented by OMB in Subpart F of 2 CFR part 200, you must provide for the access to audit
documentation described in 2 CFR 200.517(b).
6. Records retention.
a. In any negotiated, cost-type or time and materials contract for an amount in excess of the
simplified acquisition threshold, you must provide for retention of all records that are directly
pertinent to that contract for 3 years after you make final payment, and all pending matters are
closed.
b. In any audit services contract for performance of an audit required by the Single Audit Act, as
implemented by OMB in Subpart F of 2 CFR part 200, you must provide for the retention of audit
documentation described in 2 CFR 200.517(a).
7. Reporting. In any contract awarded under this award, you must include any provision for the
contractor’s reporting to you that may be needed in order for you to meet your requirements under this
award to report to us.
Section B. Contract provisions for national policy requirements.
1. Equal employment opportunity. You must include the clause provided in 41 CFR 60-1.4(b) in any
“federally assisted construction contract” (as defined in 41 CFR 60-1.3) under this award unless
provisions of 41 CFR part 60-1 exempt the contract from the requirement.
2. Wage Rate Requirements (Construction). RESERVED - Only applicable if provided in DoD
Component addendum to these terms and conditions or award-specific terms and conditions.
3. Copeland Act prohibition on kickbacks. RESERVED - Only applicable if provided in DoD
Component addendum to these terms and conditions or award-specific terms and conditions.
4. Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act for work involving mechanics or laborers. In
each contract for an amount greater than $100,000 that involves the employment of mechanics or
laborers and is not a type of contract excepted under 40 U.S.C. 3701, you must include the clauses
specified in Department of Labor (DoL) regulations at 29 CFR 5.5(b) to require use of wage
standards that comply with the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 CFR, Subtitle II,
Part A, Chapter 37), as implemented by the DoL at 29 CFR part 5, “Labor Standards Provisions
Applicable to Contracts Governing Federally Financed and Assisted Construction.”
5. Patents and inventions. If you procure the services of a nonprofit organization, small business firm,
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or other entity for the performance of experimental, developmental or research work, you must
include in the contract the clause prescribed in Section B of PROP Article VI to establish contractual
requirements regarding subject inventions resulting from the contract and provide for Government
rights in those inventions.
6. Clean air and water requirements. You must:
a. In each contract for an amount greater than $150,000 under this award, include a clause requiring
the contractor to comply with applicable provisions of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q),
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251-1387), and standards, orders, or regulations
issued under those acts; and
b. Report any violations of the Acts, standards, orders, or regulations to both the award administration
office and the appropriate regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency.
7. Nonprocurement suspension and debarment. Unless you have an alternate method for requiring the
contractor’s compliance, you must include a clause in each contract for an amount equal to or greater
than $25,000 and in each contract for federally required audit services to require the contractor to
comply with OMB guidance on nonprocurement suspension and debarment in 2 CFR part 180, as
implemented by DoD regulations at 2 CFR part 1125.
8. Byrd Amendment anti-lobbying requirements. In each contract for an amount exceeding $100,000,
you must include a clause requiring the contractor to submit to you the certification and any
disclosure forms regarding lobbying that are required under 31 U.S.C. 1352, as implemented by the
DoD at 32 CFR part 28.
9. Purchase of recovered materials by States or political subdivisions of States. In each contract
under which the contractor may purchase items designated in Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) regulations in 40 CFR part 247, Subpart B, you must include a clause requiring the contractor
to comply with applicable requirements in those EPA regulations, which implement section 6002 of
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6962).
a. The recipient or subrecipient should, to the greatest extent practicable and consistent with law,
purchase, acquire, or use products and services that can be reused, refurbished, or recycled; contain
recycled content, are biobased, or are energy and water efficient; and are sustainable. This may
include purchasing compostable items and other products and services that reduce the use of single-
use plastic products. See Executive Order 14057, section 101, Policy.
10. Fly America requirements. In each contract under which funds provided under this award might be
used for international air travel for the transportation of people or property, you must include a clause
requiring the contractor to:
a. Comply with the International Air Transportation Fair Competitive Practices Act of 1974 (49
U.S.C. 40118, also known as the "Fly America” Act), as implemented at 41 CFR 301-10.131
through 301-10.143. The law and regulations provide that U.S. Government-financed
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international air travel of passengers and transportation of personal effects or property must use a
U.S. Flag air carrier or be performed under a cost-sharing arrangement with a U.S. carrier, if such
service is available; and
b. Include the requirements of the Fly America Act in all subcontracts that might involve
international air transportation.
11. Cargo preference for United States flag vessels. In each contract under which equipment, material,
or commodities may be shipped by oceangoing vessels, you must include the clause specified in
Department of Transportation regulations at 46 CFR 381.7(b) to require that at least 50 percent of
equipment, materials or commodities purchased or otherwise obtained with Federal funds under this
award, and transported by ocean vessel, be transported on privately owned U.S.-flag commercial
vessels, if available.
12. Prohibition on Using Funds under Grants and Cooperative Agreements with Entities that
Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements. You must include the provision provided in
Section B.1 of NP Article IV in Part 7 of these general terms and conditions in each contract under
this award.
13. Prohibition on certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment. You
must include the provision provided in Section B.18 of NP Article IV in Part 7 of these general terms
and conditions in each contract under this award.
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Part 4: Financial, Programmatic, and
Property Reporting
(articles from this part are designated with “REP” in the article title)
REP Article I. Performance management, monitoring, and reporting. (SEPTEMBER 2023)
Section A. Required reporting form, format, or data elements for interim and final performance
reports.
1. You must report any changes in key personnel identified in award documents, including the current
and pending information. You must provide this information using the “Participants and Other
Collaborating Organizations” section of the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) package.
Section B. Frequency, reporting periods, and due dates for interim performance reports.
RESERVED See Language in DoD Component addendum to these terms and
conditions.
Section C. Due date and reporting period for final performance report.
1. Due date. You must submit the final performance report under this award no later than 120 calendar
days after the end date of the period of performance unless we approve an extension of that due date
as described in Section D of this article.
2. Reporting period. Final reports must be cumulative (i.e., each final report should cover the entire
period of performance under the award and not just the period since the previous interim performance
report).
Section D. Extensions of due dates. You may request extensions of the due dates that Sections B and C of
this Article specify for interim and final reports, respectively. You must provide the reasons for your
request, and we will consider approving extensions that are adequately justified.
Section E. Reporting significant developments. You must report the following information to us as soon
as you become aware of it:
1. Problems, delays, or adverse conditions that will materially impair your ability to meet the objectives
of this award. This disclosure must include a statement of the action taken, or contemplated, and any
assistance needed to resolve the situation.
2. Favorable developments which will enable you to meet schedules and objectives sooner or at less cost
than anticipated or produce more or different beneficial results than originally planned.
Section F. Performance reporting procedures. RESERVED - See Language in DoD
Component addendum to these terms and conditions.
Section G. Site visits. We reserve the right to make site visits as warranted to monitor program
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performance under this award.
REP Article II. Financial reporting. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Required reporting form, format, or data elements for interim and final financial
reports.
You must fully complete and submit financial reports on the Standard Form 425 (SF 425), “Federal
Financial Report”.
Section B. Interim financial reports: frequency, reporting periods, and due dates. RESERVED -See
Language in DoD Component addendum to these terms and conditions.
Section C. Final financial report. You must submit the final financial report under this award no later
than 120 calendar days after the end date of the period of performance.
Section D. Extensions of due dates. You may request extensions of the due dates that Sections B and C
of this Article specify for interim and final reports, respectively. You must provide the reasons for your
request, and we will consider approving extensions that are adequately justified.
Section E. Where and how to submit financial reports. RESERVED - See Language in DoD
Component addendum to these terms and conditions.
REP Article III. Reporting on property. (SEPTEMBER 2017)
Section A. Real property. Paragraphs A.1 through A.4 apply to real property for which you are
accountable under this award, for as long as there is a federal interest in the property (whether that interest
is due to you or a subrecipient having acquired or improved the property under this award, or a transfer of
the accountability for the property to this award from another award).
1. Periodic status reports. You must submit periodic status reports, as follows:
a. Frequency and duration of reporting requirement. RESERVED - Only applicable if provided in
DoD Component addendum to these terms and conditions or award-specific terms and
conditions.
b. Due dates. RESERVED - Only applicable if provided in DoD Component addendum to these
terms and conditions or award-specific terms and conditions.
c. Other submission instructions. RESERVED - Only applicable if provided in DoD Component
addendum to these terms and conditions or award-specific terms and conditions.
2. Notifications of critical changes. You must notify the award administration office of any critical
change in the status of real property as soon as feasible after you become aware of it. A critical
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change is any event with a significant adverse impact on the condition or value of the property, such
as damage due to fire; flood, hurricane, or other severe weather; earthquake; or accident.
3. Requests for disposition instructions. You must comply with applicable requirements in PROP
Article III to request disposition instructions, either during the period of performance or at closeout.
4. Closeout accounting. You must account to the award administration office for real property at the
time of closeout of the award, as required by Section D of OAR Article VI.
Section B. Equipment and supplies. Paragraphs B.1 through B.4 apply to equipment or supplies for
which you are accountable under this award and in which there is a federal interest (whether that interest
is due to you or a subrecipient having acquired or improved the property under this award, or a transfer of
the accountability for the property to this award from another award).
1. Periodic status report. There is no requirement for periodic reporting during the period of
performance.
2. Notifications of loss, damage, or theft. You must comply with applicable requirements in PROP
Article II governing your property management system to promptly notify the award administration
office of any loss, damage, or theft of equipment.
3. Requests for disposition instructions. You must comply with applicable requirements in PROP
Article IV to request disposition instructions for equipment, either during the period of performance or
at closeout.
4. Closeout accounting.
a. Equipment. You must account to the award administration office for equipment at the time of
closeout of this award, as required by Section D of OAR Article VI.
b. Supplies. If you have a residual inventory of unused supplies that meets the criteria specified in
paragraph E.2 of PROP Article IV, you must as part of your closeout accounting arrange with the
award administration office for the compensation that paragraph specifies for the Federal interest
in the supplies.
Section C. Federally owned property. Paragraphs C.1 through C.4 apply to federally owned property for
which you are accountable under this award.
1. Annual inventory. You must submit annually to the award administration office an inventory of
federally owned property.
2. Notifications of loss, damage, or theft. As provided in PROP Article II governing your property
management system, you must promptly notify the award administration office of any loss, damage, or
theft of federally owned property.
3. Requests for disposition instructions. You must comply with requirements in Section B of PROP
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Article V to request disposition instructions, either during the period of performance or at closeout.
4. Closeout accounting. Your requests for disposition instructions for federally owned property, as
described in paragraph C.3 of this section, satisfy the need to account for federally owned property at
closeout (see Section D of OAR Article VI).
Section D. Intangible property. Paragraphs D.1 through D.3 apply to intangible property for which you
are accountable under this award.
1. Inventions developed under the award. You must submit all reports on subject inventions
developed under this award that are required by the modified Governmentwide patent rights award
provision specified in Section B of PROP Article VI, which include a disclosure of each subject
invention and a final report listing all such subject inventions.
2. Copyrights and data. You are not required to submit periodic reports about data produced under the
award or about works for which you acquired ownership under this award, either by development or
otherwise, and in which copyright was asserted. However, because the Federal Government has the
rights in the works and data that Sections A and C of PROP Article VI specify, you must provide
information about the works and data if we request it.
3. Intangible property acquired, but not developed or produced, under the award. You must
comply with requirements in Section D of PROP Article VI to request disposition instructions for
intangible property acquired, but not developed or produced, under the award.
REP Article IV. Reporting on subawards and executive compensation. (JANUARY 2021)
You must report information about subawards, and executive compensation as specified in the award
provision in appendix A to 2 CFR part 170, “Reporting subaward and executive compensation
information,” modified as follows:
1. To accommodate any future designation of a different Governmentwide Web site for reporting
subaward information, the Web site “http://www.fsrs.gov” cited in paragraphs a.2.i. and a.3 of the
award provision is replaced by the phrase “http://www.fsrs.gov or successor OMB-designated Web
site for reporting subaward information;”
2. To accommodate any future designation of a different Governmentwide Web site for reporting
executive compensation information, the Web site “http://www.sam.gov” cited in paragraph b.2.i. of
the award provision is replaced by the phrase “https://www.sam.gov or successor OMB-designated
Web site for reporting information on total compensation.”
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Part 5: Other Administrative Requirements
(articles from this part are designated with “OAR” in the article title)
OAR Article I. Submitting and maintaining recipient information. (JANUARY 2021)
Section A. System for Award Management.
1. Unless you are exempted from this requirement in accordance with OMB guidance in 2 CFR 25.110,
you must maintain the currency of information about yourself in the system the Federal Government
specifies as the repository for information about its business partners (currently the System for Award
Management (SAM)). This includes information on your immediate and highest-level owner and
subsidiaries, as well as on all of your predecessors that have been awarded a federal contract or
Federal financial assistance within the last three years, if applicable.
2. You must maintain the information in that system until you submit the final financial report required
under this award or receive the final payment, whichever is later.
3. You must review and update the information at least annually after your initial registration in the
system (unless you are subject to the requirements in Section B) and more frequently if required by
changes in your information.
Section B. Reporting of Performance and Integrity Information.
1. General reporting requirement. If the total value of your currently active grants, cooperative
agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal agencies exceeds $10,000,000 for any period
of time during the period of performance of this award, then during that period of time you must
maintain in SAM the currency of information required by paragraph B.2 of this section. Note that:
a. This reporting is required under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C.
2313).
b. As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all performance and integrity information
posted in the designated information system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance
reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available.
c. Recipient information is submitted to the OMB-designated integrity and performance system
through the SAM, as described in paragraph B.3 of this section. The currently designated
integrity and performance information system is the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity
Information System (FAPIIS).
2. Proceedings about which you must report. Submit the information that the designated information
system requires about each proceeding that:
a. Is in connection with the award or performance of a grant, cooperative agreement, or procurement
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contract from the Federal Government;
b. Reached its final disposition during the most recent 5-year period; and
c. Is one of the following:
i. A criminal proceeding that resulted in a conviction, as defined in paragraph B.5. of this
section;
ii. A civil proceeding that resulted in a finding of fault and liability and payment of a monetary
fine, penalty, reimbursement, restitution, or damages of $5,000 or more;
iii. An administrative proceeding, as defined in paragraph B.5. of this section, that resulted in a
finding of fault and liability and your payment of either monetary fine or penalty of $5,000 or
more or a reimbursement, restitution, or damages in excess of $100,000; or
iv. Any other criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding if:
(A) It could have led to an outcome described in paragraph B.2.c.i, ii, or iii of this section;
(B) It had a different disposition arrived at by consent or compromise with an
acknowledgment of fault on your part; and
(C) The requirement in this section to disclose information about the proceeding does not
conflict with applicable laws and regulations.
3. Reporting procedures. Submit the information required in paragraph B.2 of this section to the Entity
Management functional area of SAM.
a. Current procedures are to submit the information as part of the maintenance of your information
in the SAM that Section A of this article requires.
b. You do not need to submit the information again under this award if you already reported current
information to the SAM under another Federal grant, cooperative agreement, or procurement
contract.
4. Reporting frequency. During any period of time when you are subject to the requirement in
paragraph B.1 of this section, you must report to SAM at least semiannually following your initial
report of any information required in paragraph B.2 of this section, either to provide new information
not reported previously or affirm that there is no new information to report.
5. Definitions. For purposes of this section:
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a. Administrative proceeding means a non-judicial process that is adjudicatory in nature in order to
make a determination of fault or liability (e.g., Securities and Exchange Commission
Administrative proceedings, Civilian Board of Contract Appeals proceedings, and Armed
Services Board of Contract Appeals proceedings). This includes proceedings at the Federal and
State level but only in connection with performance of a federal contract, grant, or cooperative
agreement. It does not include audits, site visits, corrective plans, or inspection of deliverables.
b. Conviction means a judgment or conviction of a criminal offense by any court of competent
jurisdiction, whether entered upon a verdict or a plea, and includes a conviction entered upon a
plea of nolo contendere.
c. Total value of currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement
contracts includes:
i. Only the Federal share of the funding under any Federal agency award with a recipient cost
share or match; and
ii. The value of all expected funding increments and options, even if not yet exercised, under
each Federal agency award.
Section C. Disclosure of evidence of integrity-related issues.
1. Disclosure requirement. At any time during the period of performance of this award, if you have
evidence that a covered person committed a covered action (see paragraphs C.2 and C.3 of this
section) that may affect this award, you must disclose the evidence in writing to the Office of the
Inspector General, DoD, with a copy to the grants officer identified in the award cover pages.
2. Covered person. As the term is used in this section, covered person means a principal, employee, or
agent of either you or a subrecipient under this award, where:
a. Principal means:
i. An officer, director, owner, partner, principal investigator, or other person with management
or supervisory responsibilities that relate to this award; or
ii. A consultant or other person, whether or not employed by you or a subrecipient or paid with
funds under this award, who:
(A) Is in a position to handle funds under this award;
(B) Is in a position to influence or control the use of those funds; or
(C) Occupies a technical or professional position capable of substantially influencing the
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development or outcome of an activity required to perform the project or program under
this award.
b. Agent means any individual who acts on behalf of, or who is authorized to commit you or the
subrecipient, whether or not employed by you or the subrecipient.
3. Covered action. As the term is used in this section, covered action means a violation of Federal
criminal law in Title 18 of the United States Code involving fraud, bribery, or a gratuity violation.
4. Safeguarding of the information.
a. To the extent permitted by law and regulation, we will:
i. Safeguard and treat information you disclose to us as confidential if you mark the information
as “confidential” or “proprietary.”
ii. Not release the information to the public in response to a Freedom of Information Act (5
U.S.C. 552) request without notifying you in advance.
b. We may transfer documents you provide to us to any other department or agency within the
Executive Branch of the Federal Government if the information relates to matters within that
organization’s jurisdiction.
OAR Article II. Records retention and access. (OCTOBER 2024)
Section A. Records retention period. Except as noted elsewhere in this article, you must retain all Federal
award records for three years from the date of submission of their final financial report. For awards that are
renewed quarterly or annually, you must retain records for three years from the date of submission of their
quarterly or annual financial report, respectively.
1. For any item of exempt property with a current fair market value greater than$10,000, and for which
final disposition was not a condition of the title vesting, you must keep whatever records you need
for as long as necessary to ensure that you can deduct the Federal share if you later use the property in
contributions for cost sharing or matching purposes under any Federal award.
2. If you are required to submit a proposal, plan, or other computations to your Federal cognizant
agency for indirect costs, as the basis for negotiation of a rate, you must keep the submissions and all
supporting records for 3 years from the date on which you were required to make the submissions
(Note: You or your subrecipient may notify OMB of any disputes with Federal agencies regarding
the application of a federally negotiated indirect cost rate.).
Section B. Extensions of retention period due to litigation, claim, or audit.
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1. If any litigation, claim, or audit begins before the end of the 3-year retention period specified in
Section A of this article and the final action related to the litigation, claim, or audit is not taken before
the end of that 3-year period, you must retain all records related to this award that may be involved in
the litigation, claim, or audit until all findings involving the records have been resolved and final
action taken.
2. We may disallow costs and recover funds under this award based on an audit or other review of
records during the record retention period, including any extension to that retention period that we
required in a written notification to you.
Section C. Records for program income earned after the end of the performance period. In
accordance with Section F of FMS Article VII, there are no requirements under this award applicable to
program income you earn after the end of the period of performance and therefore no associated records
retention requirements.
Section D. Records for joint or long-term use.
1. Joint use. To avoid duplicate recordkeeping for records that you and we both need to use on a
continuous basis, we may ask you to make special arrangements with us, by mutual agreement, to
make records available for joint and continuous use.
2. Long-term use. If we determine that some records will be needed longer than the 3-year period
specified in Section A of this article, we may request that you either:
a. Retain the records for a longer period of time; or
b. Transfer the records to our custody for long-term retention.
3. Retention requirements for transferred records. For any records transferred to our custody, you are
not subject to the records retention requirements in Section A of this article.
Section E. Methods for collecting, transmitting, and storing information.
1. You should, whenever practicable, collect, transmit, and store information related to this award in
open and machine-readable formats rather than in closed formats or on paper. However, if you request
it, we will:
a. Provide award related information to you on paper; and
b. Accept award related information from you on paper. In that case, we will not require more than
an original and two copies.
2. When your original records are in an electronic form that cannot be altered, you do not need to create
and retain paper copies of those records.
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[Document continues — 48 more pages]

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NGA-Addendum to DoD R&amp;D T&amp;C_FEB2026

UNCLASSIFIED
NGA Addendum to the DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions
and NGA Programmatic Requirements for Domestic Awardees
February 2026
This award is subject to the Department of Defense (DoD) Research and Development (R&D)
General Terms and Conditions. This document is an element of those general terms and
conditions.
The first portion of this document is the National Geospatial Agency (NGA) Addendum to
DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions, which provides additional content relevant to NGA
awards for sections of specified articles from those general terms and conditions. The five
asterisks [*] indicate that there is content from the DoD R&D General Terms and
Conditions within the identified parts and articles that remains unchanged and is not restated
in this document. To understand the entire requirement for a given article, the DoD R&D
General Terms and Conditions must be read in tandem with this NGA Addendum.
The second portion of this document is comprised of the programmatic requirements portion
of the general terms and conditions that apply to NGA awards subject to the DoD R&D
General Terms and Conditions. This document uses plain language as described in the
preamble to the DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions.
NGA Addendum to the DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions
*
Part 1: Financial and Program Management (articles from this part are designated
with “FMS” in the article title)
*
FMS Article II. Payments.
*
Section C. Electronic funds transfer and other payment procedural instructions of
information.
*
2. Other payment procedural instructions or information.
a. Invoice and Payment Procedures. You, as the “Recipient,” shall request payment
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monthly using Standard Form 270, Request for Advance or Reimbursement. Requests
for payment shall be submitted by email to the Award Administration Office (see
email on Grant Award document), NGA’s Grants Office (OCSGrants@nga.mil), and
the Program (BIGSTBAAPMO@nga.mil). The subject line of the email shall contain
the Grant Agreement number followed by “SF270”. For example:
HM04762410001_SF270.
b. Electronic Funds Transfer Information. All payments will be made by electronic funds
transfer (EFT) to the bank account registered within https://www.sam.gov. You shall
maintain the currency of information about yourself in SAM, including information
necessary to facilitate payment via EFT. NGA cannot be held responsible for any
misdirection or loss of payment which occurs as the result of failure to maintain
correct/current EFT information within the SAM registration.
c. Questions for the Payment Office. Questions concerning specific payments should be
directed to the Award Administration Office and Grants Office. The award number
and voucher number will be required to inquire about the status of the payment.
*
FMS Article IV. Revision of budget and program plans.
*
Section B. Revisions requiring prior approval from the Grants Officer.
1. Non-construction activities.
*
e. An extension of the period of performance.
*
Section D. Procedures.
*
2. Additional procedural instructions.
a. You must submit requests requiring prior approval to the Grants Officer and the
Program Office with sufficient justification to support the request. Such requests are
considered approved only when incorporated into the award through issuance of a
modification.
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b. Requests for a no-cost extension (NCE) shall be submitted no later than thirty (30)
days prior to the end of the current performance period using NGA’s NCE template. If
a request is submitted within shorter notice, a justification for delay will need to be
provided to the Grants Officer for consideration. You must request an NCE template
from the Grants Officer and/or the Program Office.
c. All other requests for revisions shall be submitted thirty (30) days prior to the change.
d. Revised budgets, when applicable, must be submitted on the “Research & Related
Budget” form, which is part of the SF-424 Research and Related (R&R) family of
forms.
*
Part 4: Financial, Programmatic, and Property Reporting (articles from this part
are designated with “REP” in the article title)
Part 5: Other Administrative Requirements (articles from this part are designated
with “OAR” in the article title)
*
OAR Article IV. Claims, disputes, and appeals. (SEPTEMBER 2023)
Section A. Definitions.
*
2. Grant Appeal Authority.
Grant Appeal Authority is the Chief of Enterprise and Mission Support within the Office of
Contract Services (OCS). Submit to OCSGrants@nga.mil for processing by the grant appeal
authority.
Part 6: Subawards (articles from this part are designated with “SUB” in the article
title)
*
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SUB Article V. Property requirements for subawards.
*
Section B. Title to property.
1. Subawards to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, States, local
governments, or Indian tribes.
*
b. Exceptions. For a subaward to conduct basic or applied scientific research with a
nonprofit institution of higher education or nonprofit organization whose primary
purpose is conducting scientific research, you must include terms and conditions in
that subaward that allow the title to all equipment and supplies acquired under that
subaward and charged as direct costs to the project or program to vest with the
subrecipient upon acquisition subject only to the following three conditions related to
equipment:
i. The subrecipient uses the equipment for the authorized purposes of the project
or program until the property is no longer needed for those purposes.
ii. The subrecipient manages the equipment as provided in PROP Article II of these
general terms and conditions. This includes maintaining property records that
include the percentage representing the Federal share of total project costs under
the award to you (the recipient) under which the subrecipient acquired the exempt
property, so that the subrecipient may deduct the Federal share if it wishes to use
the property in future contributions for cost sharing or matching purposes on
Federal awards. When both your award with the DoD Component has cost
sharing requirements and your subaward allows for the purchase of exempt
property, you must include in that subaward the percentage representing the
Federal share of total project costs to enable the subrecipient’s compliance with
this provision.
iii. NGA reserves the right to transfer title to the equipment to another entity if the
Principal Investigator of a subrecipient relocates his or her research program to
that entity. If NGA elects to exercise its right to transfer the title of equipment,
NGA will contact the recipient to discuss the transfer.
*
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Part 7: National Policy Requirements (articles from this part are designated with
“NP” in the article title)
*
NGA Programmatic Requirements Portion of the General Terms
and Conditions
1. SPONSORSHIP BY AN AGENCY WITHIN THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
This grant is sponsored by the NGA, an Agency within the Intelligence Community. To
ensure compliance with Executive Order 12333, dated 4 December 1981, the individual
signing this instrument on behalf of the academic institution is authorized by the institution
to contract with an Agency within the Intelligence Community.
2. FUNDING AND REFUNDS
a. Our financial obligation is limited to the amount shown in Block 13B of the Grant
Agreement Form (Total Funding History).
b. We do not require additional documentation from you to initiate a modification for
providing an increment of funding. However, you should note that low expenditure
rates reported on payment requests might be cause for deferral of future funding
increments.
c. Any refunds of unobligated balances made in accordance with OAR Article VI,
Section B, must be remitted to the Award Administration Office by check made
payable to the US Treasury.
3. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION
a. The Recipient may make formal public disclosure of the scientific and technical
information from this grant work (e.g., release articles for appropriate professional
publications or present papers at scientific meetings or symposia) and will take the
following steps:
(1) A copy of the article, paper, report, etc., shall be provided to the Government for
review 45 days prior to submission for publication. The article should be sent by
email to the Program Office (BIGSTBAAPMO@nga.mil) and Grants Office
(OCSGrants@nga.mil).
(2) Unless otherwise notified by the Program Office after review of the paper, please
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comply with the following:
• All images and graphics used in a paper / presentation need to be cited. In a
PowerPoint presentation we would suggest adding a statement at the end stating
all images are self-produced.
• Include reference to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in any
Acknowledgements.
• Do not use the NGA seal or logo on any documents or PowerPoint presentations.
• Do not depict, show, or list NGA personnel or facilities.
• Make sure that there are no placeholders in the submitted article. The Public
Release Office will send it back to get the final image or numbers which delays
the approval.
• Papers over 25 pages will take the full 45 business days to complete.
• Send a copy of the NGA approved (for public release), final published article or
manuscript to the Program Office.
(3) In accordance with the OUSD (AT&L) memorandum regarding fundamental
research, dated May 24th, 2010, NGA will not restrict disclosure of the results of
fundamental research unless such research efforts are classified for reasons of
national security, or as otherwise required by applicable federal statutes, regulations,
or executive orders. Accordingly, NGA's pre-publication review is intended, inter
alia, to confirm: a) acknowledgement of NGA sponsorship; b) that the NGA logo has
not been used; c) that NGA personnel or facilities are not shown or listed; d) that no
sensitive or confidential information of NGA is included; and e) compliance with
applicable federal laws, regulations, and policy.
b. The Recipient may utilize the scientific and technical information resulting from this
grant work in consulting or discussing this and related information with other qualified
individuals or groups of individuals, where appropriate, for furthering this research
and/or development effort.
4. UNAUTHORIZED USE OF NGA NAME, SEAL AND INITIALS
a. As provided in 10 U.S.C. Section 425, no person may, except with the written
permission of both the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence,
knowingly use the words "National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency", "National Imagery
and Mapping Agency", or "Defense Mapping Agency," the initials "NGA", "NIMA" or
"DMA," the seal of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Imagery and
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Mapping Agency, or the Defense Mapping Agency, or any colorable imitation of such
words, initials, or seal in connection with any merchandise, retail product,
impersonation, solicitation, or commercial activity in a manner reasonably calculated to
convey the impression that such use is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the
Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence.
b. Whenever it appears to the Attorney General that any person is engaged or about to
engage in an act or practice which constitutes or will constitute conduct prohibited by
subsection (a), the Attorney General may initiate a civil proceeding in a district court of
the United States to enjoin such act or practice. Such court shall proceed as soon as
practicable to hearing and determination of such action and may, at any time before final
determination, enter restraining orders or prohibitions, or take such other action as is
warranted, to prevent injury to the United States or to any person or class of persons for
whose protection the action is brought.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2010-title10/html/USCODE-2010-title10-
subtitleA-partI-chap21.htm
5. CLASSIFIED AND CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION
a. Reporting Potentially Classifiable Information
This award is intended for unclassified, publicly releasable research. We do not expect
that the research project will involve classified information. If, however, in conducting
the activities supported under this award, the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI is
concerned that any portion of the research may potentially cause damage to national
security and warrant Government restrictions on the dissemination of the results, the PI
should promptly notify the Program Office by email.
b. Controlled Unclassified Information
Information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this award may be or
may become subject to dissemination control by law, executive order, or regulation.
Recipients are reminded that compliance with all federal laws, including the entire
suite of export controls laws, sanctions or other national security-related requirements,
rests fully with the recipient organization.
Nothing in this award may be construed to permit any disclosure in violation of those
restrictions. If you are unsure whether information and materials provided to you or
generated under this award is Controlled Unclassified Information or subject to export
control laws, contact the Program Office as noted above.
c. Deemed Exports
Export control laws and requirements must be complied with when non-U.S. persons
or foreign nationals are granted access to regulated products or technology by a
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company or institution of higher education in the United States. Under the "deemed
export" rule, allowing non-U.S. persons or foreign nationals access to the product or
technology may trigger the requirement to apply for a license prior to that access.
d. Uncleared Personnel Security Requirements
Should NGA identify the use of unauthorized personnel, the CO may direct the
Recipient, at its own expense, to remove and replace any unauthorized personnel
performing on the grant. Such action may be taken at the NGA's discretion without
prejudice to its rights under any other grant terms and conditions.
Uncleared Recipient personnel visiting NGA facilities or other sites may receive the
appropriate visitor badge and be escorted, as appropriate. The Recipient will return the
visitor badge at the end of each visit day.
e. Information Security Requirements
NGA shall have the sole authority to determine whether, and to what extent, protected
information shall be provided to the Recipient under the terms of the grant. The
Recipient shall not access, download, print, or further disseminate any unclassified
information outside the execution of the defined grant requirements without the guidance
and written permission from the COR.
When the Recipient receives protected information under the terms of this grant, the
Recipient will comply with all applicable NGA, DoD, and IC information security
policies for the proper marking, handling, processing, storing, and safeguarding of
unclassified and CUI material. The Recipient will ensure that document markings are
given the lowest possible security classification to maximize dissemination while still
maintaining the information’s confidentiality and integrity as necessary.
6. ACTIVITIES ABROAD
You must ensure that project activities to be performed outside the United States are
coordinated as necessary with appropriate governmental authorities and that required
licenses, permits, or approvals are obtained prior to undertaking such activities. The
Government does not assume responsibility for your compliance with the laws and
regulations of the country in which the activities are to be conducted.
7. ACTIVITIES THAT AFFECT U.S. PERSONS
This grant is sponsored by NGA. All work and services to be performed hereunder shall be
in strict compliance with procedures set forth in DoDM 5240.01.
8. USING TECHNICAL INFORMATION RESOURCES
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To the extent practical, the Recipient will use the technical information resources of the
Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) and other Government or private facilities to
investigate recent and ongoing research and avoid needless duplication of scientific and
engineering effort.
9. FOOD AND BEVERAGE
Funds may not be used to pay for food or beverages (unless preapproved by the Awarding
or Administrative Grant Officer).
10. CERTIFICATIONS
The Certifications, which have been executed by the Recipient prior to award of this
agreement and submitted with the Proposal via http://grants.gov, are hereby incorporated by
reference.
11. RESEARCH SECURITY
a. Prohibited Actions.
NGA reserves the right to invoke DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions OAR
Article III. ‘Remedies and termination’ in the following cases:
1) Awardee receives federal funds in excess of $50 million per year and Awardee fails
to establish a research security program that addresses (at a minimum) cybersecurity,
foreign travel security, research security training, and export control training;
2) Awardee hosts a Confucius Institute or a cultural institute established as a partnership
between the Awardee and a Chinese institution of higher education to promote and
teach Chinese language and culture that is funded, directly or indirectly, by the
Government of the People's Republic of China, unless the proposer has been issued a
waiver by the Secretary of Defense pursuant to section 1062 of the William M. (Mac)
Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2021;
3) Participation of covered individual, as defined in Section 10638 of the CHIPS and
Science Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-167), in a NGA research award who is also
party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program (MFTRP) meeting any of the
criteria in Sec. 10638(4)(A)(i)-(ix) of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022;
4) Awardee does not have a policy prohibiting participation in MFTRPs; or
5) Any practices or behaviors identified as a prohibited factor in Table 1 of the “DoD
Component Decision Matrix to Inform Fundamental Research Proposal Mitigation
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Decisions.”
b. Discouraged Actions.
Unless the Awardee has been issued a waiver by the Director, NGA, or higher authority,
the Awardee and all covered individuals are discouraged from engaging in any practices
or behaviors identified in Table 1 of the “DoD Component Decision Matrix to Inform
Fundamental Research Proposal Mitigation Decisions”, or collaborations and
commitments identified by NGA implementing rules and regulations including, but not
limited to:
1) any entity or individual listed on the Bureau of Industry and Security Lists of Parties
of Concern, including:
a. Denied Persons List;
b. Entity List, Supplement No. 4 to Part 744 of the Export Administration
Regulations;
c. Export Administration Regulations, Bureau of Industry and Security,
Supplement No. 7 to Part 744 – ‘Military End-User’ (MEU) List;
d. Export Administration Regulations, Bureau of Industry and Security,
Supplement No. 6 to Part 744 – Unverified List;
e. Consolidated Screening List;
2) any entity identified on the Transportation Security Administration’s No Fly List;
3) any entity identified on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terrorist Screening
Center (TSC) Terrorism Watchlist;
4) any of the “Seven Sons of National Defense” (国防七子) Schools or State Key
Laboratories:
a. Beihang University (北京航空航天大学), previously known as the Beijing
University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA);
b. Beijing Institute of Technology (北京理工大学);
c. Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (南京航空航天大学);
d. Nanjing University of Science and Technology (南京理工大学);
e. Northwestern Polytechnical University (西北工业大学);
f. Harbin Institute of Technology (哈尔滨工业大学);
g. Harbin Engineering University (哈尔滨工程大学);
h. State Key Laboratory for Underwater Information and Control;
i. Multi-hull Ship Technology Key Laboratory of Fundamental Science for
National Defense;
j. National Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Technology;
k. National Defense Key Laboratory of Underwater Vehicles Technology;
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5) Any of the “Seven Sons of Ordnance Industry” (兵工七子) Schools;
a. Beijing Institute of Technology (北京理工大学)
b. Nanjing University of Science and Technology (南京理工大学)
c. Shenyang Ligong University (沈阳理工大学)
d. North University of China (中北大学)
e. Chongqing University of Technology (重庆理工大学)
f. Changchun University of Science and Technology (长春理工大学)
g. Xi’an Technological University (西安工业大学)
6) Any organ of the armed forces of a Foreign Country of Concern (FCOC) (e.g.,
People’s Liberation Army, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Islamic
Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Korean People's Army, etc.);
7) State-owned Enterprise Defense Conglomerates;
8) People’s Republic of China’s State Administration for Science, Technology, and
Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) schools; or
9) Any collaborations or commitments that the Risk Review Board determines
a. interfere with the capacity for activities supported by NGA to be carried out;
b. were not appropriately disclosed to NGA on the common disclosure form
(OMB Number 3145-0279) at award initiation and annually thereafter;
c. violate Federal law or terms and conditions of contracts or other agreements
awarded by NGA; or
d. pose a risk to national security.
Based on the results of a risk-based security review of required disclosures and annual
verification of RPPR submissions, Awardee and NGA may have the opportunity to
negotiate strategies to mitigate the potential risk posed by discouraged practices or
behaviors. In cases where NGA and Awardee are unable to come to an agreement
concerning proposed mitigation strategies, NGA reserves the right to invoke DoD
R&D General Terms and Conditions OAR Article III. ‘Remedies and termination’ for
any unmitigated risk factors associated with prohibited or discouraged actions
identified in this addendum or the DoD Component Decision Matrix to Information
Fundamental Research Proposal Mitigation Decisions found at
https://basicresearch.defense.gov/Programs/Academic-Research-Security/.
Awardee will report any violation of disclosure requirements to NGA within 30 days
or before the next program security update, whichever comes first.
c. Research Progress Performance Report (RPPR).
In accordance with NSPM-33, “Countering Unwanted Foreign Influence in
Department-Funded Research at Institutions of Higher Education”, dated 29 June
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2023, and section 10632(a)(1) of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (Public Law
117-167), Awardee agrees to submit initial and annual verification and updates to the
common disclosure forms for each covered individual, including the Research and
Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded), including "Current & Pending
Support", biographical sketch, curriculum vitae or resume, and any patent applications
or patents not disclosed in the grant application or proposal.
d. Reporting Potential Conflicts of Interest and Commitment.
Awardee agrees to promptly report to NGA any and all indicators identified in Table 1
of “Countering Unwanted Foreign Influence in Department-Funded Research at
Institutions of Higher Education”, dated 29 June 2023 for a risk-based security review
for potential conflicts of interest and commitment. Notifications may be sent by email
to the Program Office and Grants Office. NGA reserves the right to invoke DoD R&D
General Terms and Conditions OAR Article III. ‘Remedies and termination’ for any
unmitigated risk factors identified during NGA risk-based security reviews of required
disclosures and annual verification of RPPR submissions.
e. Research Security Training Requirement
Each covered individual shall certify that each such individual has completed OSTP
and CHIPS Act-compliant training within 365 days of the certification; and
Awardee shall certify that each covered individual who is employed by awardee has
completed such training.
12. FLOW DOWN OF PROGRAMMATIC REQUIREMENTS TO SUBRECIPIENTS
You must flow down the provisions in this programmatic requirement portion of NGA
Addendum and ONR’s Addendum to the DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions to any
Sub-Recipients under this award.
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NGAI 8400.4

UNCLASSIFIED
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
INSTRUCTION
NUMBER 8400.4
05 July 2017
Administrative Update 2, 10 March 2025
CIO-T
SUBJECT: Implementation of Electronic and Information Technology
Accessibility/Section 508 Program
References: See Enclosure 1.
1. PURPOSE. This Instruction:
a. Establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and provides procedures for the
implementation and governance of the Electronic and Information Technology (EIT)
Accessibility Program (also known as the Section 508 Program).
b. Rescinds NGA Instruction (NGAI) 8400.4, “Implementation of Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act,” 02 May 2013.
2. APPLICABILITY. This Instruction, hereinafter referred to as Section 508, applies to all
NGA civilian employees, military service members, other Government agency personnel
assigned to NGA, and contractors, hereinafter referred to as personnel.
3. DEFINITIONS. See Glossary.
4. POLICY. It is NGA policy to:
a. Ensure all EIT (i.e., computers or telephones) is accessible to people with
disabilities in accordance with (IAW) References (a) and (b).
b. Implement and manage an EIT Accessibility Program to ensure Section 508
compliance.
c. Ensure accessibility and universal usability to all EIT that is developed, procured,
maintained, or used by the Agency.
d. Certify EIT accessibility IAW References (a) and (b).
5. RESPONSIBILITIES. See Enclosure 2.
6. PROCEDURES. See Enclosures 3-8.
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NGAI 8400.4
7. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Instruction is effective on the date of signature.
Enclosures
1. References
2. Responsibilities
3. Procedures for Developing Accessible EIT
4. Procedures for Procuring Accessible EIT
5. Procedures for Maintaining Use of Accessible EIT
6. Procedures for Developing Accessibility Training
7. Procedures for Funding EIT Accessibility
8. Procedures for Initiating an Administrative Complaint
Glossary
2
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NGAI 8400.4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHANGE LOG ................................................................................................................ 4
ENCLOSURE 1: REFERENCES..................................................................................... 5
ENCLOSURE 2: RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................................ 6
Director, NGA .................................................................................................................. 6
Director, Chief Information Officer and Information Technology Services ........................ 6
Component Acquisition Executive ................................................................................... 7
Director, Office of Diversity Management and Equal Employment Opportunity ................ 7
Director, Human Development ........................................................................................ 7
Director, Office of Contract Services ................................................................................ 8
Director, Office of Corporate Communications ................................................................. 8
General Counsel ............................................................................................................. 8
Director, Research and Development .............................................................................. 8
Director, Security and Installations .................................................................................. 8
Special Emphasis Program Leads, Equality Executives, and Senior Champions ............ 9
Component Heads Directors, Agency Elements Leads, and Program Managers ............ 9
Section 508 Coordinator .................................................................................................. 9
Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Team, Lead .................................. 10
Requiring Officials ......................................................................................................... 11
Personnel ...................................................................................................................... 11
ENCLOSURE 3: Procedures for Developing Accessible EIT ........................................ 12
ENCLOSURE 4: Procedures for Procuring Accessible EIT ........................................... 13
ENCLOSURE 5: Procedures for Maintaining Use of Accessible EIT ............................ 15
ENCLOSURE 6: Procedures for Developing Accessibility Training .............................. 16
ENCLOSURE 7: Procedures for Funding EIT Accessibility ........................................... 17
ENCLOSURE 8: Procedures for Initiating an Administrative Complaint ........................ 18
GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................. 19
3
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CHANGE LOG
Change Revised Pages
Change Change Description
Date By Affected
Removed “CIO-T Official” for clarity.
1-1 1/24/2020 CIO-T 13 The CIO-T Official is the Section 508
Coordinator.
Clarified who signs the Form 5115-4
1-2 1/24/2020 CIO-T 13
and for what purpose.
Updated the establishment and use
2-1 3/10/2025 DXCI 1
of acronyms.
2-2 3/10/2025 DXCI 3 Updated Table of Contents.
2-3 3/10/2025 DXCI 5 Updated References.
Updated Component Directors to
6, 9-10,
2-4 3/10/2025 DXCI Component Heads and deleted
12-13, 17
Agency Element (AE) Leads.
7-9,
2-5 3/10/2025 DXCI Organizational Name Change.
17-18
2-6 3/10/2025 DXCI 7, 12 Updated referencing.
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ENCLOSURE 1
REFERENCES
(a) 29 United States Code (USC) Section 794d, “Electronic and Information technology
Workforce Investment Act of 1998,” (Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
as amended)
(b) 40 USC Section 1452, Section 5142, Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, 10 February 1996
(c) Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations Part 1194, “Electronic and Information
Technology Accessibility Standards,” 21 December 2000
(d) Office of Management and Budget Memorandum, “Strategic Plan for Improving
Management of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act,” 24 January 2013
(e) DoD Manual 8400.01-M, “Accessibility of Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) Procedures for Ensuring the Accessibility of Electronic and
Information Technology (EIT) Procured by DoD Organizations,” 14 November 2017
03 June 2011
(f) NGA Instruction 1020.2, “Reasonable Accommodation and Personal Assistance
Services,” 24 September 2020 01 October 2005
(g) NGA Form 5115-4, “Section 508 Determination for Purchase Requests,”
March 01 May 2012
(h) NGAD 1405, “Employment and Placement,” 18 May 2015
(i) NGA Memorandum for Record, U-2016-02349, “Delegation of Authorities,”
13 September 2016
(h j) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0),
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20, 11 December 2008
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ENCLOSURE 2
RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Director, NGA (D/NGA).
a. Establishes the NGA EIT Accessibility Program IAW References (a), (d), and (e).
b. Designates the Director, Chief Information Officer and Director, Information
Technology (IT) Services (D/CIO-T) as the Senior Designated Officer for EIT who is
responsible for ensuring compliance IAW References (a) through (e).
2. D/CIO-T.
a. Oversees and maintains accountability for the EIT Accessibility Program.
b. Ensures the EIT Accessibility Program is established and implemented IAW
References (a), (d), and (e).
c. Ensures accessibility requirements are incorporated into the planning, operation,
and management of EIT that is developed, procured, maintained, or used by the
Agency.
d. Collaborates with the Component Acquisition Executive (CAE) and Director,
Office of Contract Services (D/OCS) to ensure that accessibility requirements are
included in EIT acquisition and procurement.
e. Provides a joint or coordinated transmittal memorandum with the CAE IAW
Reference (e) asserting that IT investments are consistent with Reference (a).
f. Appoints and assigns responsibility to a Section 508 Coordinator to provide
program leadership and management of the EIT Accessibility Program.
g. Maintains policies and guidebooks, disseminates best practices, and pursues
accessibility and universal usability in the development, procurement, and maintenance
of EIT.
h. Ensures that EIT acquisition processes and procedures are IAW References (c)
and (e).
i. Ensures the procurement and development of accessible EIT in collaboration with
Component Heads Directors, Agency Element (AE) Leads, and Program Managers.
j. Facilitates staffing, funding, and implementation of EIT Accessibility Program
initiatives.
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3. CAE.
a. Ensures that EIT acquisition review processes include accessibility requirements.
b. Collaborates with D/OCS and D/CIO-T to ensure compliance with Reference (a) in
all EIT procurement request packages.
c. Collaborates with the D/OCS to ensure that accessibility requirements are
included in EIT acquisition and procurement.
d. Provides a joint or coordinated transmittal memorandum with the D/CIO-T IAW
Reference (e) asserting that IT investments are consistent with Reference (a).
4. Director, Office of Diversity Management and Equal Employment Opportunity (D/EEO
ODE).
a. Assists in the development of user engagement programs in coordination with the
Section 508 Coordinator.
b. Ensures the Agency is responsive to the requests and complaints of personnel
with disabilities via the reasonable accommodation program IAW Reference (f).
c. Assists with the implementation and funding of accessibility in the workplace IAW
Reference (f).
d. Collaborates with the EIT Accessibility Team on recommendations from
employees, recruiters, and hiring events regarding how to make the Agency a more
accessible environment for personnel with disabilities.
5. Director, Human Development (D/HD).
a. Provides input on the Agency’s recruitment practices for people with disabilities.
b. Recruits and hires qualified people with disabilities IAW Reference (h).
c. Collaborates with the EIT Accessibility Team on recommendations from
employees, recruiters, and hiring events regarding making the Agency a more
accessible environment for personnel with disabilities.
d. Develops and maintains Section 508 awareness training in collaboration with the
Section 508 Coordinator.
e. Ensures that training provided by the NGA College is accessible to personnel with
disabilities.
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f. Provides guidance, subject-matter expertise, and advice on Section 508 training
and education initiatives to the EIT Accessibility Team.
6. D/OCS.
a. Provides guidance to contracting officers to ensure that acquisition strategies are
in compliance with Reference (a).
b. Assists with updating procurement policies and procedures to ensure consistency
with US Access Board standards IAW Reference (c).
c. Ensures that undue burden documentation is provided and included in the
contract file, when appropriate, IAW Reference (a).
d. Ensures that market research is performed during the acquisition planning phase.
7. Director, Office of Corporate Communications (D/OCC).
a. Ensures, in collaboration with all appropriate stakeholders, that all Agency public
and user-facing communications are accessible.
b. Collaborates with EIT Accessibility Team on the communication strategy for all
publications regarding accessibility-related topics including educational and training
materials.
c. Assists in the implementation and funding of workplace accessibility upon
availability of funds.
8. General Counsel (GC).
a. Determines legal compliance with Section 508.
b. Ensures an efficient and accessible method for handling Section 508
administrative complaints is established.
9. Director, Research and Development (D/R&D).
a. Supports Agency efforts to build partnerships with the public sector, private
sector, and academia that add value to accessibility and usability efforts.
b. Assists the EIT Accessibility Team with developing solutions for unique
accessibility challenges on a discretionary basis.
10. Director, Security and Installations (D/SI), with collaboration from all stakeholders,
provides input and subject matter expertise on environmental issues related to Section
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508 accessibilities to the EIT Accessibility Team.
11. Special Emphasis Program Leads, Equality Executives, and Senior Champions.
a. Provide guidance to the Section 508 Coordinator and EIT Accessibility Team.
b. Identify and advocate solutions for EIT accessibility barriers throughout the
Agency.
c. Provide insight and advice on Agency culture and support for accessibility.
d. Assist with personnel engagement and outreach to provide information on
accessibility in the work environment.
12. Component Heads Directors, AE Leads, and PMs.
a. Ensure compliance with Reference (a).
b. Ensure all applicable personnel are trained on compliance and accessibility IAW
Reference (a).
c. Provide the Section 508 Coordinator with feedback about the effectiveness of
Section 508 training courses.
d. Implement and fund Section 508 compliance for programs within their purview.
e. Ensure that compliance and accessibility performance goals are cascaded down
through second- and first-line supervisor performance plans.
13. Section 508 Coordinator.
a. Ensures EIT accessibility requirements are integrated into NGA’s strategic,
budget, and IT capital plans.
b. Develops and implements processes and procedures for monitoring Agency
adherence to Reference (a) IAW Reference (e).
c. Develops user engagement programs in coordination with D/EEO ODE.
d. Manages EIT Accessibility Program staff and funding.
e. Establishes and leads an EIT Accessibility Team made up of points of
contact/participants from CIO-T, EEO ODE, HD, OCS, OCC, GC, SI, R&D, Deaf and
Hard of Hearing Council, People with Disabilities Council, other interested parties, and
stakeholders.
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f. Develops a charter for the EIT Accessibility Team and assigns responsibilities to
team members according to their respective areas of expertise.
g. Responds to EIT accessibility complaints and issues and prepares reports
pertaining to those complaints and issues.
h. Promotes EIT accessibility awareness throughout the Agency and conducts
briefings for stakeholders.
i. Provides training content for EIT accessibility and collaborates with HD to develop
computer-based training.
j. Develops compliant and efficient procedures for the acquisition of accessible EIT,
approves exceptions, and provides guidance and recommendations to Component
Heads Directors, AE Leads, and PMs who develop, procure, maintain, or use EIT.
k. Identifies needs for accessible systems, adaptive technology, and EIT deficiencies
in both current and prospective EIT systems that impact the performance of personnel
with disabilities.
l. Identifies NGA work environment accessibility issues, assists with writing problem
statements to describe issues, and coordinates with the stakeholders to find funding
and/or creative solutions for accessibility issues.
14. EIT Accessibility Team
a. Assists with the understanding and implementation of accessibility measures
throughout the Agency by leveraging the knowledge, perspective, and experience of
different Components, AEs, and PMs to resolve accessibility issues within NGA.
b. Supports the Section 508 Coordinator with integrating accessibility needs into
Agency strategic, budget, and IT capital plans.
c. Identifies Agency needs for accessible systems, adaptive technology, and EIT
deficiencies in both current and prospective EIT systems that impact the performance of
personnel with disabilities.
d. Participates in EIT accessibility monitoring, measurement, and disclosure
activities.
e. Supports the validation of accessible EIT system performance prior to
development.
f. Provides recommendations and expertise to the Section 508 Coordinator
regarding implementation issues and solutions.
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g. Supports the development of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with
Reference (a).
15. Requiring Officials.
a. Conduct market research to ensure procurement of the most accessible product
at best value.
b. Make EIT procurements on behalf of the Agency.
c. Track and document the Section 508 compliance status of each EIT procurement
made.
d. Ensure that Section 508 compliance records are made available to the Section
508 Coordinator upon request.
16. Personnel, if applicable, initiate a Section 508 administrative complaint IAW
Enclosure 8.
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ENCLOSURE 3
PROCEDURES FOR DEVELOPING ACCESSIBLE EIT
1. Requirements. Personnel involved in managing EIT development (e.g., Component
Heads Directors, AE Leads, and PMs) ensure EIT is accessible by including
accessibility language in all service requests, contracts, performance work statements,
and any document that captures requirements relating to the EIT development. The
language must satisfy the requirement for contractors to ensure EIT compliance as
directed in Reference (a), specifically that vendors providing EIT may use Reference
(c), Reference (h j), or use alternative designs or technologies that provide equal or
greater access to and use of the product for persons with disabilities.
2. Testing. Personnel involved in managing EIT development also ensure that EIT is
accessible by testing the products to confirm that the vendors have delivered the
requested service or system. PMs ensure vendors include requirements for accessibility
in EIT test cases. Accessibility compliance is identified in factory acceptance tests, initial
tests, and independent verification and validations. Accessibility results are published
with the general test results and are included in the production lifecycle of the product.
The Section 508 Coordinator tracks program progress on accessibility by requesting
accessibility results at different points in production.
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ENCLOSURE 4
PROCEDURES FOR PROCURING ACCESSIBLE EIT
1. Certification. The Section 508 Coordinator has the authority to certify compliance and
approve exemptions for EIT procurements. In practice, these decisions are made as a
result of a joint effort with other Components or AEs throughout the Agency. The
Requiring Officials complete NGA Form 5115-4 by answering the questions on the form
to the best of their knowledge while attempting to obtain missing or unknown
information. The Requiring Officials then sign and forward the form to the Section 508
Coordinator. In addition, Requiring Officials obtain a Section 508 Voluntary Product
Assessment (VPAT) from the vendor to ensure Section 508 compliance. Requiring
Officials request guidance from the Section 508 Coordinator for any questions about
compliance concerning either NGA Form 5115-4 or the VPAT. Requiring Officials then
sign and forward the NGA Form 5115-4 to the Section 508 Coordinator and OCS.
2. Tracking of Compliance. The Requiring Officials track the compliance status of EIT by
including the VPAT and NGA Form 5115-4 in the procurement package that is sent to
OCS. Requiring Officials also maintain copies of the VPAT and NGA Form 5115-4 for
their records. The Section 508 Coordinator retains a copy of NGA Form 5115-4 and can
request copies of the VPAT from Requiring Officials or OCS.
3. Exemptions. While it is in the best interest of the Agency to pursue accessibility for
every EIT product developed, procured, maintained, or used by the Agency, there are
some exemptions. In the event of an exemption, the Requiring Official completes NGA
Form 5115-4, identifies the program, and provides an explanation that supports the
claim of exemption, and obtains the Section 508 Coordinator signature for exemption
approval. Even with an exemption, Requiring Officials request accessible products from
vendors, request a VPAT from the vendor, and document whether they can provide
one. The exemptions are:
a. National Security Systems for which the function, operation, or use involves
intelligence activities, cryptologic activities related to national security, command and
control of military forces, equipment that is an integral part of a weapon or weapon
system; or systems which are critical to the direct fulfillment of military or intelligence
missions. Systems that are critical to the direct fulfillment of military or intelligence
missions do not include a system that is to be used for routine administrative and
business applications (including payroll, finance, logistics, and personnel management
applications). (Reference (b))
b. The EIT acquisition is:
(1) For service and/or service maintenance agreements (for technical support,
not software maintenance agreements).
(2) Acquired by a contractor for use that is incidental to the contract.
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(3) Located in spaces frequented only by service personnel for equipment
maintenance, repair, or occasional monitoring of equipment.
(4) Provided for telecommunications services and not contractor-provided
terminal equipment (telecommunications products). (Reference (a))
c. An undue burden EIT acquisition exemption may be claimed IAW Reference (a).
The Requiring Official completes NGA Form 5115-4 and provides a justification for
undue burden and coordinates with the GC before submitting NGA Form 5115-4. All
undue burden exemption requests are forwarded to the Section 508 Coordinator for
final review. The justification includes:
(1) The products or services required.
(2) The dollar value of the acquisition.
(3) The otherwise applicable technical provision that cannot be met.
(4) The market research performed to locate commercial items that meet
applicable standards and the specific reasons why the technical provision cannot be
met.
(5) The significant difficulty or expense that would be incurred in order to comply
with the accessibility standard. If the expense is deemed prohibitive by the Requiring
Official, the estimation method for cost must be included. In addition, the insufficient
Agency resources available to the office or program for which the product or service is
being acquired must be described.
(6) The alternative means by which the Agency provides access to the data and
information to personnel with disabilities.
(7) If the justification is lacking any of the above elements, is incomplete, or is
unsupportable according to the GC, the request for exemption is denied by the Section
508 Coordinator.
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ENCLOSURE 5
PROCEDURES FOR MAINTAINING USE OF ACCESSIBLE EIT
1. User Engagement. The Section 508 Coordinator ensures that the Agency maintains
and uses accessible EIT by continuously monitoring the use of EIT throughout the
Agency. This is accomplished by working in collaboration with disability advocates such
as the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Council, People with Disabilities Council, Wounded
Warriors, and Component Equality Executives to gain information about the everyday
work experience of people with disabilities when they engage with EIT. The Section 508
Coordinator uses this information to assess the overall accessibility of the Agency, write
problem statements, and raise personnel awareness of areas for improvement.
2. Metrics. The Section 508 Coordinator uses information gained from user
engagement, accessibility testing, and accessibility procurement to create metrics that
illustrate the overall accessibility standing for EIT maintained and used by the Agency.
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ENCLOSURE 6
PROCEDURES FOR THE DEVELOPING ACCESSIBILITY TRAINING
The Section 508 Coordinator conducts research and collaborates with HD staff to
develop computer-based training for personnel that have various levels of engagement
with EIT and accessibility. Training covers topics that:
1. Teach general awareness of Section 508 and its requirement to ensure that all EIT is
accessible.
2. Illustrate the best way to ensure the procurement of accessible EIT including how to
determine exemptions, how to verify accessibility with vendors, and how to complete
NGA Form 5115-4.
3. Describe the best way to develop accessible EIT.
4. Recommend the best way to design software that is compatible with assistive
technology.
5. Show how to recognize barriers for disabilities such as hearing loss, color blindness,
and motor disabilities.
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ENCLOSURE 7
PROCEDURES FOR FUNDING EIT ACCESSIBILITY
1. Funding for Agency Initiatives. Component Heads Directors, AE Leads, Portfolio
Leads, and PMs fund Section 508 needs by ensuring that vendors providing EIT fulfill
accessibility requirements as written in their statement of work and paying for
accessible capabilities as the vendor provides them. However, there are EIT projects
associated with the overall accessibility of the NGA work environment and not with the
individual efforts of any particular program, portfolio, AE, or Component. These
initiatives are in response to requests made by personnel with disabilities or are the
result of an assessment by the Section 508 Coordinator. If centralized funding is made
available by the D/NGA and/or the D/CIO-T to pay for accessibility initiatives, the
Section 508 Coordinator may use the funds to complete accessibility upgrades on
behalf of the Agency. If centralized funding is not available or funding has been
depleted, funds may come directly from CIO-T in satisfaction of a reasonable
accommodation request filed through EEO ODE pursuant to Reference (f).
2. This guidance shall not be interpreted to rescind, revoke, or replace EEO ODE’s role
and responsibility concerning Interpreting Services IAW Reference (f) or any other
responsibility EEO ODE has to fund services concerning personnel with disabilities.
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ENCLOSURE 8
PROCEDURES FOR INITIATING AN ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT
1. Initial Request. Personnel who have concerns about accessibility submit an
administrative complaint to the Section 508 Coordinator. The Section 508 Coordinator:
a. Creates a problem statement and makes an attempt to resolve the issue by
bringing it to the attention of CIO-T leadership.
b. Coordinates with stakeholders within CIO-T and other Components, such as EEO
ODE, to formulate a resolution.
c. Provides feedback and status updates to the requestor detailing progress toward
resolving the issue.
2. Lack of resolution. If the individual is dissatisfied with Agency efforts to resolve the
issue, the individual can file an informal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
complaint with EEO ODE.
3. If the informal complaint remains unresolved, the individual can file a formal EEO
complaint and have the complaint investigated IAW Reference (f).
4. The GC supports the formal complaint process by providing legal guidance and
assisting the parties to come to a satisfactory resolution.
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GLOSSARY
Accessibility The design of products, devices, services, or environments for people
who experience disabilities. The concept of accessible design and
practice of accessible development ensures both unassisted access and
compatibility with assistive technology. (Reference (a))
Assistive Includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices that promote
Technology greater independence by providing enhancements to or changing
methods of interacting with technology to make it easier for people to
perform tasks that they may have been unable to accomplish or have
great difficulty in accomplishing. (Reference (c))
Electronic Commonly referred to as IT but is an expansion upon the accepted
and definition of IT because it includes any equipment or interconnected
Information system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation,
Technology conversion, or duplication of data or information. EIT includes IT products
(EIT) (such as computers, software, and ancillary equipment),
telecommunications products (such as telephones), information kiosks,
transaction machines, websites, multimedia, and office equipment (such
as copiers and fax machines). (Reference (c))
Information Any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that
Technology is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management,
(IT) movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or
reception of data or information. IT includes computers, ancillary
equipment, software, firmware and similar procedures, services
(including support services), and related resources. (Reference (c))
Requiring Any Government official who is participating in the procurement of EIT.
Official Requiring Officials participate in the determination of Section 508
relevance, technical performance, and functional requirements. They also
conduct market research and help to ensure that accessibility language is
included in all requests for service, contracts, performance work
statements, and/or any document that captures requirements related to
EIT procurement. (Definition created by NGA for NGA purposes only)
Undue Significant difficulty or expense. In determining whether an action would
Burden cause an undue burden, an agency shall consider all agency resources
available to the program or component for which the product is being
developed, procured, maintained, or used. (Reference (c))
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Universal The broad spectrum of ideas meant to produce EIT that is inherently
Usability accessible to all people regardless of age or ability. A program that
provides universal usability greatly increases the ease of use by which
EIT can be leveraged to accomplish tasks with effectiveness, efficiency,
and satisfaction. Universal usability ultimately drives and molds
innovation. The goal of the EIT Accessibility Program is to move from
Section 508 compliance, to accessibility, to universal usability. (Definition
created by NGA for NGA purposes only)
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Research and Technology Protection_BIG-ST BAA_20241220

# Research and Technology Protection Attachment

Program Protection Implementation Plan (PPIP) Template

Do not submit the PPIP unless you receive a request from NGA.

Guidance on how to fill out the PPIP will be provided with the PPIP request.

Common Disclosure Forms for Fundamental Research

Do not submit the following forms unless you receive a request from NGA.

For awards of fundamental research, NGA will request the submission of two (2) Common Disclosure forms for each covered individual after a proposal is selected for award and annually thereafter, coinciding with delivery of the annual Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR).

• Common Form for Biographical Sketch.

• Common Form for Current and Pending (Other) Support Information.

The link to these forms is at: NSTC Research Security Subcommittee NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance Requirements & Standardization (nsf.gov)

Due Diligence and Research Security Program Requirements

Proposals associated with fundamental research (see General Solicitation, Appendix 6 for definition) shall comply with the following requirements:

(a) The proposing institution must establish and maintain a research security program in accordance with National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33), including disclosure to NGA of any changes to submitted common disclosure forms, change of covered individuals, and any indicators of participation in a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP) meeting any of the criteria in Sec. 10638(4)(A)(i)-(ix) of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

NGA will conduct risk-based security reviews of the required disclosures in accordance with “Countering Unwanted Foreign Influence in Department-Funded Research at Institutions of Higher Education”, dated 29 June 2023, and section 10632(a)(1) of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-167), to identify practices or behaviors identified in Table 1 of the “DoD Component Decision Matrix to Inform Fundamental Research Proposal Mitigation Decisions.”

Examples of sources that NGA leverages to assess potential undue foreign influence factors include, but are not limited to:

1. Executive Order 13959 “Addressing the Threat From Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies”: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-11-17/pdf/2020-25459.pdf

2. The U.S. Department of Education’s College Foreign Gift and Contract Report: College Foreign Gift Reporting (https://sites.ed.gov/foreigngifts/)

3. The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, List of Parties of Concern: https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/policyguidance/lists-of-parties-of-concern

4. Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) Chinese Talent Program Tracker: https://chinatalenttracker.cset.tech

5. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) “World Wide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community”: 2021 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community (https://www.dni.gov/)

6. Various Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) products regarding targeting of US technologies, adversary targeting of academia, and the exploitation of academic experts: https://www.dcsa.mil/

7. Lists Published in Response to Section 1286 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115-232), as amended.

8. Entities Identified as Chinese Military Companies Operating in the United States in accordance with Section 1260H of the William M. (“Mac”) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116-283)

9. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration Consolidated Screening List

(b) NGA’s analysis and assessment of affiliations and associations of covered individuals is compliant with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Information regarding race, color, or national origin is not collected and does not have bearing in NGA’s assessment.

(c) Proposing institutions with proposals selected for negotiation that have been assessed as having undue foreign influence risk may be given an opportunity during the negotiation process to mitigate the risk. NGA reserves the right to request any follow-up information needed to assess risk or mitigation strategies.

i. Upon conclusion of the negotiations, if NGA determines, despite any proposed mitigation terms (e.g. mitigation plan, alternative research personnel), the participation of any covered individuals still represents unacceptable risk to the program, or proposed mitigation affects the Government’s confidence in the proposer’s capability to successfully complete the research (e.g., less qualified covered individuals) the Government may determine not to award the proposed effort. Any decision not to award will be predicated upon reasonable disclosure of the pertinent facts and reasonable discussion of any possible alternatives while balancing program award timeline requirements.

(d) Failure of the proposing institution to reasonably exercise due diligence to discover or disclose indicators of participation in a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP), or other disclosures required by NSPM-33, may result in the Government exercising remedies in accordance with federal law and regulation.

i. The performer or recipient must flow down this provision to any subtier contracts or agreements involving direct participation in the performance of the research.

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BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v2_20260316

UNCLASSIFIED
BIGST BAA HM047623BAA0001
Topic 06: MUSE2_Ver2
BIGST BAA (HM047623BAA0001)
Topic # 06 – Magnifying University Science Expertise (MUSE) 2
Document Change History
Date Description
3/16/2026 Updated Section 3.2 Geomatics Subject Area
3/16/2026 Added Questions and Answers
Table 1: Document Change History
Expected Awards
The Government intends to issue one or more awards per subject area described below in
Sections 3.1 and 3.2. The Government reserves the right to cancel and/or issue no awards. All
awards are subject to the availability of funds.
Award Type: GRANT, Cost Only (No Fee)
Budget
The total budget for the MUSE 2 is $25.0M across all awards. The maximum amounts for each
Funding Period for the multiple awards are as follows:
Funding Period 1 (24 months): $1.0M
Funding Period 2 (12 months): $0.5M
Funding Period 3 (12 months): $0.5M
Funding Period 4 (12 months): $0.5M
Note: Proposed Travel costs cannot exceed 4% of the Applicant’s overall proposed price.
Topic Technology Readiness Level (TRL):
This BAA Topic is limited to projects that meet Technology Readiness Level (TRL) definitions
in the TRL range 1–6. Definitions can be found in the BIGST BAA General Solicitation
(HM047623BAA0001).
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BIGST BAA HM047623BAA0001
Topic 06: MUSE_ 2
Dates
Topic Posting 25 February 2026
Questions Due 09 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Q&A Posting 16 March 2026
Abstracts Due 26 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Abstract Feedback 2 April 2026
Proposals Due 4 May 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Estimated Period of
12 August 2026
Performance Start:
Table 2: Dates
Submission Instructions
For instructions on submission of abstracts and proposals and evaluation of proposals, please
review BIGST BAA General Solicitation (HM047623BAA0001), all associated Revision
documents, and specifically Appendix 1 – Abstract Template, Appendix 2 – Proposal Template,
and Appendix 5 - Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal Preparation & Submission
Instructions.
Please send a courtesy email to the Grants Officer, Viphalac Chanthaphone at
Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist, Nathalie Nlate at
Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil, to ensure NGA is aware of the application submitted in Grants.gov.
Upon successful download of the application package from Grants.gov, NGA will provide the
Applicant confirmation status.
All questions shall be submitted directly to the Grants Officer, Viphalac Chanthaphone at
Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist, Nathalie Nlate at
Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil using the Q&A template located in Appendix 1 of this Topic Call.
1. Topic Research Opportunity Description
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) GEOINT Innovation and Research
(GEOINT I&R) Directorate (formerly Research & Development (R&D) Directorate) seeks to
increase the breadth and depth of knowledge to key science and technology areas of need to the
geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) community and advance the state of practice in:
• Geodesy
• Geomatics
Approaches developed under this topic shall:
• Provide coursework in geodesy and geomatics.
• Increase the numbers of students who are highly educated in geodesy and geomatics.
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• Provide opportunities for students under the proposed curriculums to develop skills in
geodetic and/or geomatics work.
• Support students doing substantive research and coursework relating to the subjects of
interest identified in this Topic Call.
• Prepare students for careers in geodesy/geomatics.
2. Background
The geodesy mission of the NGA’s Mapping, Charting and Geodesy (MC&G) domain is to
better understand the earth to improve navigation, mapping, charting, tides, and geodetic
products as called out in U.S. Code Title 10, Subtitle A, Part 1, Chapter 22. To address this
mission, NGA created the World Geodetic System (WGS). NGA’s WGS is a system of geodetic
systems; at its heart is the terrestrial reference frame (TRF). The Earth Gravitational Model 2008
(EGM2008), and World Magnetic Model (WMM) are two geodetic models within WGS. Future
WGS iterations could contain new models of plate motion and tides (both solid earth and ocean).
Geodesy is the science that studies the size, shape, and orientation of the earth in space, its
gravity field, and how its shape and orientation, in relation to the stars, and the earth’s gravity
field are changing over time. The earth’s orientation and motion through space is defined relative
to the stars that are in the celestial sphere. Location in this celestial sphere is defined in terms of
its coordinates in the Celestial Reference Frame (CRF), similar to the earth’s latitude and
longitude system used to plot positions within the Terrestrial Reference Frame (TRF) for points
residing on a reference ellipsoid.
While geodetic science is very old, dating back to the ancient Greeks trying to understand the
size and shape of the Earth, it is a very important and highly relevant science today, especially
considering that over 4 billion users rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) each day to
determine their position on Earth. It is because of the desire to accurately determine one’s
position, and understand our planet and its temporal evolution, that geodesy is one of the few
science disciplines that cares about accuracies at parts per billion.
Geomatics is a complimentary branch of the science to geodesy that is associated with the
collection, analysis, and interpretation of spatial data related to the Earth’s surface. It
encompasses a number of technologies and techniques, including the fields of surveying,
mapping, remote sensing, photogrammetry, hydrology, GPS, and Geographical Information
Systems (GIS) to gain understanding and solve problems related to the Earth’s surface.
Although the relative importance of geodetic sciences and geomatics to modern society has been
on the increase over the past couple of decades, the research conducted, and the number of
students being trained in these sciences has greatly declined in U.S. colleges and universities.
This shift jeopardizes future advancements and the future geodetic sciences workforce in the
United States. U.S. Government agencies involved in geodetic research and development are
finding it harder to recruit highly educated personnel skilled in geodetic and/or geomatics work.
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3. Project Structure/Scope
Grantees have considerable latitude to focus on geodetic and/or geomatic topics of interest,
provided they:
• Achieve the goals set out for each subject area (sections 3.1 and 3.2 below).
• Advance the state of practice in geodesy and/or geomatic research.
• Increase student involvement and exposure to geodetic and/or geomatic principles.
Each subject area, geodesy and geomatics, requires the separate submission of an abstract and
proposal:
• Any proposal which attempts to address more than one subject area in a single
submission will not be considered.
• An institution and a principal investigator are permitted to make a submission for more
than one subject area.
• Abstracts and proposals shall clearly identify which one of the two subject areas they are
addressing.
Proposals shall endeavor to create interest in the students they reach, not only for the scientific
advancement, but also for careers and applications in this science. This applies to both direct
student involvement and curriculum development.
Grantees shall construct their project in accordance with the Funding Periods of Performance
outlined above.
Proposals shall provide a clear breakdown of what the Grantee intends to accomplish within each
Funding Period, along with a schedule and detailed milestones for these activities.
3.1 Geodesy Subject Area
The goals of this subject area are to increase exposure and understanding of geodetic science
through research efforts with direct student involvement and course work; and to create a broad
foundation that will allow students to move into geodesy related work or research roles.
Geodetic science is built upon fundamental principles: “Geometric Geodesy” including terrestrial
reference frame (TRF) and Earth orientation parameters (EOP), and “Physical Geodesy and
Geophysics” including potential field observations and modeling (gravitational and magnetic
fields). Fulfillment of the goals for this subject area requires student exposure to these
fundamental principles in their coursework and research into:
• Gravity Field and Geoid Modeling.
• Crustal and Core Magnetic Field Observations and Modeling.
• Marine geodetic data collection techniques and sensors.
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As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to the fundamental
geodetic science principles and one of these three focus areas of research as described in
paragraphs 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3.
Colleges and universities with strong applied mathematics, geophysics and/or aerospace
engineering (orbital mechanics) programs, but little to no prior research in geodesy, are
encouraged to apply, as well as institutions with prior geodetic science experience.
Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and
graduate students involved in every activity. Students do not need to be involved in every
activity; however, Grantees are expected to include substantial student involvement; specifically,
involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in geodesy and its
application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address
broadening the exposure of individuals to geodesy.
Curriculum Development: Academic course development in one or more of the three focus areas
listed below is strongly recommended but not required. If included, the proposal shall provide
specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use,
course type (i.e., major, minor, or general elective), and the students the course is expected to
reach (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, etc.). The proposal should also indicate whether the course
being developed will support in class, remote learning, or both.
3.1.1 Gravity Field and Geoid Modeling
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support an understanding of
the type, quality, and quantity of gravitational data needed, and how to determine what
data and models should be used to improve our understanding of Earth’s gravitational
fields.
Additional, modeling of the earth’s gravitational fields requires use of a large number of
observations from different sources, with differing accuracies, and collected at different
distances from the Earth’s surface. These data sources, include terrestrial, marine,
airborne, and space-based observations including both space gravity missions and
satellite altimetry missions. In addition, satellite gravity missions like Gravity Recovery
and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation
Explorer (GOCE), which form the long wavelength basis of gravitational models, suffer
from aliasing and noise, and require careful treatment of solutions and associated error
properties. This leads to several challenges in the modeling of these potential fields, to
include the problem of downward continuation. In addition, significant areas of our
planet are void of the data required to develop high accuracy and high-resolution
gravitational models. This necessitates use of forward gravity modeling techniques,
employing other data sources (e.g., elevations).
For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the several challenges in modeling
gravitational fields and geoid modeling, including the accuracies of different data types,
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and how each proposed solution contributes to mitigating the uncertainties of the
resulting model.
3.1.2 Crustal and Core Magnetic Field Observations and Modeling
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support an understanding of
investigate approaches used to collect, process, and use magnetic data in the modeling of
the Earth’s crustal field or core field. Further, it will explain what data and models should
be used to improve our ability to map crustal magnetic field anomalies and their
associated uncertainties and the preferred data and models used to improve our
understanding of Earth’s core magnetic field.
Modeling of the Earth’s crustal and core magnetic fields requires large amounts of
observations from different sources, with differing accuracies, and collected at different
distances from the Earth’s surface over decades. This leads to several challenges in the
modeling of these potential fields, to include the problem of downward continuation.
Furthermore, significant areas of our planet are void of the data required to develop high
accuracy and resolution crustal magnetic models. This necessitates use of forward
modeling techniques, employing other data sources (e.g., elevations). In addition, satellite
missions like SWARM and Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP), which form the
long wavelength basis of magnetic field models, suffer from aliasing and noise, and
require careful treatment of solutions and associated error properties.
For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the several challenges in modeling
gravitational and magnetic fields, including the accuracies of different data types, and
how each proposed solution contributes to mitigating the uncertainties of the resulting
model.
3.1.3 Marine Geodetic Data Collection Techniques and Sensors
Over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, inclusion of this focus area in
curriculum development will provide insights into investigate approaches and sensors for
the collection and processing of geodetic data in these maritime environments. Further, it
will provide an understanding of the error sources and uncertainties within these
instruments and systems, and how to address them at the observation level or post-
processing level.
For this area, proposals shall focus on maritime geodetic data collection and processing
and gaining an improved understanding of error sources and uncertainties within
maritime geodetic observation techniques and sensors, and examine how measurements
from one technique could be used to improve corrections for another geodetic technique.
Proposals can also examine approaches for improved corrections for different geodetic
observation techniques, using geophysical and non-geophysical modeling.
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3.2 Geomatics Subject Area
The goals of this subject area are to increase exposure and understanding of geomatics, through
research efforts with direct student involvement and course work and creating a broad foundation
that will allow students to move into geomatics related work or research roles.
Fulfillment of the goals for this subject area requires student exposure to three topics in
geomatics research:
• 3D geospatial and photogrammetry.
• Multimodal multiscale 3D scene reconstruction.
• Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) Applications.
As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to geomatic principles
and one of these three focus areas of research these geomatics research topics as described in
paragraphs 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3.
Colleges and universities with strong applied mathematics, geosciences and/or civil engineering
programs, but little to no prior research in geomatics, are encouraged to apply, as well as
institutions with prior geomatics science and photogrammetry experience.
Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and
graduate students involved in every activity. Students do not need to be involved in every
activity; however, Grantees are expected to include substantial student involvement; specifically,
involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in geodesy and its
application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address
broadening the exposure of individuals to geomatics.
Curriculum Development: Academic course development in one or more of the three focus areas
listed below is strongly recommended but not required. If included, the proposal shall provide
specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use,
course type (i.e., major, minor, or general elective), and the students the course is expected to
reach (i.e., undergraduate and/or graduate). The proposal should also indicate whether the course
being developed will support in class, remote learning, or both.
3.2.1 3D geospatial and photogrammetry
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support the explanation of
multi-view satellite photogrammetry in 3D geospatial research to:
• Enhance Digital Surface Model (DSM) generation.
• Achieve feature-based detection and extraction (such as windows on a building/
light pole on the roads, etc.) in 3D.
• Conduct feature-based change detection and modeling in 3D to inform battle
damage assessment.
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In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in 3D photogrammetry research while also increasing
student involvement.
3.2.2 Multimodal multiscale 3D scene reconstruction
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development is to promote an increased
understanding of 3D scene reconstruction to:
• Perform joint 3D scene reconstruction from different modalities (such as satellite,
drone, ground-based images, etc.).
• Understand uncertainties in multimodal/ multiscale datasets through
photogrammetric methods.
• Establish sensor agnostic framework to achieve generalizable and efficient 3D
scene reconstruction.
In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in 3D scene reconstruction research while also increasing
student involvement
3.2.3 Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) Applications
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will increase exposure and
understanding of using InSAR time series to:
• Establish seasonal and annual baselines of terrain.
• Understand uncertainties in the data.
• Employ these observations and trends to validate models that infer subsurface
processes (such as bio/geochemical, hydrological, etc.) to inform mobility and
infrastructure risk assessments.
In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in InSAR research while also increasing student
involvement.
3.3 Outside the Scope of this Topic
Any subject not explicitly described within Section 3.1 and 3.2 is considered outside the scope.
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4. Reporting Requirements and Oversight Activities
# ITEM DESCRIPTION DUE DATE SUBMIT TO
1 Kick-off Briefing in support of a project kick off meeting 45 days after start of Information will be
Meeting – that details the plan for the work, as well as any initial performance provided at award
Technical additional details since the proposal was submitted.
Assistance. Meeting will be in person at Grantee or NGA
location, or virtual at the discretion of the
Government. This is an opportunity for two-way
communication between the grantor and the award
recipient to ensure both parties understanding of
the work to be performed.
2 Quarterly RPPR status report. No later than 5 business Information will be
Research days after the end of each provided at award
Subject Area 1 & 2
Performance quarter of work
shall address the following as part of the report:
Progress
Report The quarterly report for
• Description of activities conducted that quarter
(RPPR)- the last quarter of the 12-
and accomplishments (block 25) Students
Oversight month reporting period is
doing substantive work relating to this Topic
replaced by the annual
Call
report.
(Include level, i.e., freshman, sophomore,
junior, senior, graduate as well as percentage
of time) (block 33)
• Student involved with the program who
obtained jobs in the field, including company
and position where possible (block 40)
• Other students exposed to or trained in Topic
Call Subject Areas through classes or other
activities (block 36)
• Status of academic papers (block 29,
conference talks (block 29), patents or similar
resulting from this work (block 31)
• Any other materials Grantee wants to provide
the Government (block 32)
• Others items of interest pertaining to the award
or student training (block 26)
If the RPRR does not provide sufficient space to
submit the information above, Grantees shall
submit an addendum with the information as part
of the RPRR.
3 Financial Via Form SF-425 reports charges made during the Due with quarterly Information will be
Execution - quarter (include labor hours charges and rate, by RPPR; no later than 5 provided at award
Oversight labor category), cumulative totals, and remaining business days after the
funds. end of each quarter of
work.
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4 Quarterly A discussion on status and progress in addition to Quarterly, NLT 10 days Information will be
Status the written quarterly RPRR. The first and third following receipt of the provided at award
Discussion – quarterly discussion will be approximately one quarterly RPRR.
Technical hour, held virtually, and focus on only the metrics
Assistance/Site and RPPR content. The second and fourth
Visits quarterly discussions will be in person (assume one
each year at the Government’s location and one at
the Grantees for costing purposes), half a day to a
day in length, and provide more detailed
presentations / discussions of the work undertaken
in the grant.
5 Annual RPPR- 90 days after the end of Information will be
Oversight the reporting period provided at award
6 Annual Update, re-certify, and resubmit Common 45 days prior to end of Information will be
Common Disclosure Forms for all covered individuals reporting period. provided at award
Disclosure (Biographical Sketch Common Form and Current
Forms- and Pending Support Common Form)
Oversight
6 Final RPPR- 90 days after the end of Information will be
Oversight the expiration or provided at award
termination of the award
7 Audits- The audit aims to ensure compliance with The Single Audit Act Information will be
Oversight government regulations and evaluate financial (amended in 1996) states provided at award
information, including expenses paid for with that grant recipients may
federal award funds. be subject to an audit
once a year.
Table 3: Reporting Requirements and Oversight Activities
5. Government Furnished Information/Data/Property
No Government furnished data or hardware will be provided in this topic call.
6. Security Considerations
Work under this effort will be at the unclassified level.
7.1. Unclassified Work Performance Security Requirements
Uncleared Contractor personnel are authorized to work on this contract at the unclassified level
only without the requirement of a security clearance
7.2. Uncleared Personnel Security Requirements
Should NGA identify the use of unauthorized personnel, the Grants Officer (GO) may direct the
Contractor, at its own expense, to remove and replace any unauthorized Contractors,
Subcontractors, or other personnel performing on the contract. Such action may be taken at the
NGA's discretion without prejudice to its rights under any other contract provision, e.g.,
termination for default.
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Uncleared Contractor personnel visiting NGA facilities or other sites may receive the appropriate
visitor badge and be escorted, as appropriate. The Contractor will return the visitor badge at the
end of each visit day.
7.3. Physical Security Requirements
Contractor personnel are forbidden from bringing prohibited or unauthorized items into any
NGA installation or other secure facility covered under this contract. These items include
weapons, cell phones, cameras, two-way pagers, laptops, recording devices of any kind, flash
drives, or any other removable media. Exceptions may be granted by NGA Security upon the
Contractor’s request. If granted, Contractor personnel must bring documentation showing
approval prior to entering with the item(s). Violations may subject the Contractor and its
offending personnel to civil and/or criminal liability IAW applicable laws and regulations
governing access to secure Government facilities.
7.4. Information Security Requirements
There are no information security requirements for this Topic Call.
7.5. Due Diligence Requirements
NGA conducts due diligence reviews in accordance with the DoD Policy for Risk-Based
Security Reviews of Fundamental Research. Please see the following link for more information
on disclosure and review requirements: https://basicresearch.defense.gov/Programs/Academic-
Research-Security/
7. Performance
8.1. Place of Performance:
The Applicant shall list place or places of performance in the proposal. If the Applicant wants to
collect data outside the United States and its Territories and their surrounding coastal waters, the
performer should notify NGA of this collection 45 days prior to the start of collection.
8.2. Period of Performance:
The resultant Grant will be established with a 24-month Base Funding Period with three (3) 12-
month Funding Periods, not to exceed a total of five (5) years. After funding the initial 24-month
period, additional funding increments will be provided at the sole discretion of the Government.
Applicants shall submit proposals that cover the entire proposed performance period; additional
funding increments which were not included in the original proposal cannot be added later.
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Topic 06: MUSE2_Ver2
Appendix 1 Questions & Answers (Q&A)
# Topic 06 Reference Contractor Question Government Response
The grants.gov listing carries this notice:
"Interested parties must have an account to
log into the Classified IC-ARC to see the
notice, and all associated RFP documents.
Notice on Sam.gov and Topic 6 is Unclassified. The notice on Sam.gov and Grants.gov were
1 For additional support with account access,
Grants.gov updated to provide clarification.
please contact the Classified ACE Help Desk
at 855-4ACE.”
Is Topic 6 Classified or Unclassified
About the inclusion of focus areas, the
geodesy section text states:
“As a minimum, proposals shall address how
they will expose students to the fundamental
geodetic science principals and one of these
three focus areas of research as described in Geodesy and Geomatics should have the same requirement, and they
paragraphs 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3” while the should only require “one of these three focus areas of research”. Section
geomatics section states: 3.2 has been revised as follows:
2 BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v1
"As a minimum, proposals shall address how “As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to
they will expose students to these geomatics geomatic principals and one of these three focus areas of research as
research topics as described in paragraphs described in paragraphs 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3.” (Section 3.2. third
3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3" paragraph)
We interpret this as allowing us to propose to
as few as one of the three focus areas in
geodesy, but all three of the focus areas in
geomatics. Is this correct?
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Topic 06: MUSE_ 2
The term “education” in Topic 6 is referred to course work or classroom
work, and “research” is referred to as a study that advances our
understanding of a subject. For a student, becoming part of a
geodetic/geomatics research effort is increasing their educational
experience in these subjects and more because they are learning to
function as part of a research team.
Reading the solicitation, we believe that the
education and research should be co-equal The focus of MUSE is exposing students to geodesy and geomatics.
3 BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v1
components of our proposal. Is this the Whether this is mostly done in the classroom with or without field work
correct understanding? or getting students involved through conducting research is the
Applicant’s call and needs to be clearly described in the abstract and
proposal.
There needs to be a training aspect to the proposal, and the training can be
in the classroom through course work or lab/field experience. The balance
between course work and research does not need to be 50-50.
Are faculty who are not USA nationals Topic 6 has no restrictions for foreign participation, including PIs.
4 BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v1 allowed to be lead PIs on proposals to this
solicitation.
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Topic 06: MUSE2_Ver3
0303
BIGST BAA (HM047623BAA0001)
Topic # 06 – Magnifying University Science Expertise (MUSE) 2
Document Change History
Date Description
3/16/2026 Updated Section 3.2 Geomatics Subject Area
3/16/2026 Added Questions and Answers
03/24/2026 Updated Submission Instructions
03/24/2026 Extended Abstract Submission Date to 31 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Table 1: Document Change History
Expected Awards
The Government intends to issue one or more awards per subject area described below in
Sections 3.1 and 3.2. The Government reserves the right to cancel and/or issue no awards. All
awards are subject to the availability of funds.
Award Type: GRANT, Cost Only (No Fee)
Budget
The total budget for the MUSE 2 is $25.0M across all awards. The maximum amounts for each
Funding Period for the multiple awards are as follows:
Funding Period 1 (24 months): $1.0M
Funding Period 2 (12 months): $0.5M
Funding Period 3 (12 months): $0.5M
Funding Period 4 (12 months): $0.5M
Note: Proposed Travel costs cannot exceed 4% of the Applicant’s overall proposed price.
Topic Technology Readiness Level (TRL):
This BAA Topic is limited to projects that meet Technology Readiness Level (TRL) definitions
in the TRL range 1–6. Definitions can be found in the BIGST BAA General Solicitation
(HM047623BAA0001).
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Topic 06: MUSE2 Ver 3
Dates
Topic Posting 25 February 2026
Questions Due 09 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Q&A Posting 16 March 2026
Abstracts Due 31 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Abstract Feedback 2 April 2026
Proposals Due 4 May 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Estimated Period of
12 August 2026
Performance Start:
Table 2: Dates
Submission Instructions
For instructions on submission of abstracts and proposals and evaluation of proposals. Please
review BIGST BAA General Solicitation (HM047623BAA0001), all associated Revision
documents, and specifically Appendix 1 – Abstract Template, Appendix 2 – Proposal Template,
and Appendix 5 - Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal Preparation & Submission
Instructions.
Please email Abstracts to the Grants Officer, Viphalac Chanthaphone at
Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist, Nathalie Nlate at
Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil.
Proposal shall be submitted via Grants.gov. Please send a courtesy email to the Grants Officer,
Viphalac Chanthaphone at Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist,
Nathalie Nlate at Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil, to ensure NGA is aware of the application submitted
in Grants.gov. Upon successful download of the application package from Grants.gov, NGA will
provide the Applicant confirmation status.
All questions shall be submitted directly to the Grants Officer, Viphalac Chanthaphone at
Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist, Nathalie Nlate at
Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil using the Q&A template located in Appendix 1 of this Topic Call.
1. Topic Research Opportunity Description
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) GEOINT Innovation and Research
(GEOINT I&R) Directorate (formerly Research & Development (R&D) Directorate) seeks to
increase the breadth and depth of knowledge to key science and technology areas of need to the
geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) community and advance the state of practice in:
• Geodesy
• Geomatics
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Topic 06: MUSE2 Ver 3
Approaches developed under this topic shall:
• Provide coursework in geodesy and geomatics.
• Increase the numbers of students who are highly educated in geodesy and geomatics.
• Provide opportunities for students under the proposed curriculums to develop skills in
geodetic and/or geomatics work.
• Support students doing substantive research and coursework relating to the subjects of
interest identified in this Topic Call.
• Prepare students for careers in geodesy/geomatics.
2. Background
The geodesy mission of the NGA’s Mapping, Charting and Geodesy (MC&G) domain is to
better understand the earth to improve navigation, mapping, charting, tides, and geodetic
products as called out in U.S. Code Title 10, Subtitle A, Part 1, Chapter 22. To address this
mission, NGA created the World Geodetic System (WGS). NGA’s WGS is a system of geodetic
systems; at its heart is the terrestrial reference frame (TRF). The Earth Gravitational Model 2008
(EGM2008), and World Magnetic Model (WMM) are two geodetic models within WGS. Future
WGS iterations could contain new models of plate motion and tides (both solid earth and ocean).
Geodesy is the science that studies the size, shape, and orientation of the earth in space, its
gravity field, and how its shape and orientation, in relation to the stars, and the earth’s gravity
field are changing over time. The earth’s orientation and motion through space is defined relative
to the stars that are in the celestial sphere. Location in this celestial sphere is defined in terms of
its coordinates in the Celestial Reference Frame (CRF), similar to the earth’s latitude and
longitude system used to plot positions within the Terrestrial Reference Frame (TRF) for points
residing on a reference ellipsoid.
While geodetic science is very old, dating back to the ancient Greeks trying to understand the
size and shape of the Earth, it is a very important and highly relevant science today, especially
considering that over 4 billion users rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) each day to
determine their position on Earth. It is because of the desire to accurately determine one’s
position, and understand our planet and its temporal evolution, that geodesy is one of the few
science disciplines that cares about accuracies at parts per billion.
Geomatics is a complimentary branch of the science to geodesy that is associated with the
collection, analysis, and interpretation of spatial data related to the Earth’s surface. It
encompasses a number of technologies and techniques, including the fields of surveying,
mapping, remote sensing, photogrammetry, hydrology, GPS, and Geographical Information
Systems (GIS) to gain understanding and solve problems related to the Earth’s surface.
Although the relative importance of geodetic sciences and geomatics to modern society has been
on the increase over the past couple of decades, the research conducted, and the number of
students being trained in these sciences has greatly declined in U.S. colleges and universities.
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This shift jeopardizes future advancements and the future geodetic sciences workforce in the
United States. U.S. Government agencies involved in geodetic research and development are
finding it harder to recruit highly educated personnel skilled in geodetic and/or geomatics work.
3. Project Structure/Scope
Grantees have considerable latitude to focus on geodetic and/or geomatic topics of interest,
provided they:
• Achieve the goals set out for each subject area (sections 3.1 and 3.2 below).
• Advance the state of practice in geodesy and/or geomatic research.
• Increase student involvement and exposure to geodetic and/or geomatic principles.
Each subject area, geodesy and geomatics, requires the separate submission of an abstract and
proposal:
• Any proposal which attempts to address more than one subject area in a single
submission will not be considered.
• An institution and a principal investigator are permitted to make a submission for more
than one subject area.
• Abstracts and proposals shall clearly identify which one of the two subject areas they are
addressing.
Proposals shall endeavor to create interest in the students they reach, not only for the scientific
advancement, but also for careers and applications in this science. This applies to both direct
student involvement and curriculum development.
Grantees shall construct their project in accordance with the Funding Periods of Performance
outlined above.
Proposals shall provide a clear breakdown of what the Grantee intends to accomplish within each
Funding Period, along with a schedule and detailed milestones for these activities.
3.1 Geodesy Subject Area
The goals of this subject area are to increase exposure and understanding of geodetic science
through research efforts with direct student involvement and course work; and to create a broad
foundation that will allow students to move into geodesy related work or research roles.
Geodetic science is built upon fundamental principles: “Geometric Geodesy” including terrestrial
reference frame (TRF) and Earth orientation parameters (EOP), and “Physical Geodesy and
Geophysics” including potential field observations and modeling (gravitational and magnetic
fields). Fulfillment of the goals for this subject area requires student exposure to these
fundamental principles in their coursework and research into:
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• Gravity Field and Geoid Modeling.
• Crustal and Core Magnetic Field Observations and Modeling.
• Marine geodetic data collection techniques and sensors.
As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to the fundamental
geodetic science principles and one of these three focus areas of research as described in
paragraphs 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3.
Colleges and universities with strong applied mathematics, geophysics and/or aerospace
engineering (orbital mechanics) programs, but little to no prior research in geodesy, are
encouraged to apply, as well as institutions with prior geodetic science experience.
Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and
graduate students involved in every activity. Students do not need to be involved in every
activity; however, Grantees are expected to include substantial student involvement; specifically,
involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in geodesy and its
application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address
broadening the exposure of individuals to geodesy.
Curriculum Development: Academic course development in one or more of the three focus areas
listed below is strongly recommended but not required. If included, the proposal shall provide
specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use,
course type (i.e., major, minor, or general elective), and the students the course is expected to
reach (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, etc.). The proposal should also indicate whether the course
being developed will support in class, remote learning, or both.
3.1.1 Gravity Field and Geoid Modeling
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support an understanding of
the type, quality, and quantity of gravitational data needed, and how to determine what
data and models should be used to improve our understanding of Earth’s gravitational
fields.
Additional, modeling of the earth’s gravitational fields requires use of a large number of
observations from different sources, with differing accuracies, and collected at different
distances from the Earth’s surface. These data sources, include terrestrial, marine,
airborne, and space-based observations including both space gravity missions and
satellite altimetry missions. In addition, satellite gravity missions like Gravity Recovery
and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation
Explorer (GOCE), which form the long wavelength basis of gravitational models, suffer
from aliasing and noise, and require careful treatment of solutions and associated error
properties. This leads to several challenges in the modeling of these potential fields, to
include the problem of downward continuation. In addition, significant areas of our
planet are void of the data required to develop high accuracy and high-resolution
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gravitational models. This necessitates use of forward gravity modeling techniques,
employing other data sources (e.g., elevations).
For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the several challenges in modeling
gravitational fields and geoid modeling, including the accuracies of different data types,
and how each proposed solution contributes to mitigating the uncertainties of the
resulting model.
3.1.2 Crustal and Core Magnetic Field Observations and Modeling
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support an understanding of
investigate approaches used to collect, process, and use magnetic data in the modeling of
the Earth’s crustal field or core field. Further, it will explain what data and models should
be used to improve our ability to map crustal magnetic field anomalies and their
associated uncertainties and the preferred data and models used to improve our
understanding of Earth’s core magnetic field.
Modeling of the Earth’s crustal and core magnetic fields requires large amounts of
observations from different sources, with differing accuracies, and collected at different
distances from the Earth’s surface over decades. This leads to several challenges in the
modeling of these potential fields, to include the problem of downward continuation.
Furthermore, significant areas of our planet are void of the data required to develop high
accuracy and resolution crustal magnetic models. This necessitates use of forward
modeling techniques, employing other data sources (e.g., elevations). In addition, satellite
missions like SWARM and Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP), which form the
long wavelength basis of magnetic field models, suffer from aliasing and noise, and
require careful treatment of solutions and associated error properties.
For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the several challenges in modeling
gravitational and magnetic fields, including the accuracies of different data types, and
how each proposed solution contributes to mitigating the uncertainties of the resulting
model.
3.1.3 Marine Geodetic Data Collection Techniques and Sensors
Over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, inclusion of this focus area in
curriculum development will provide insights into investigate approaches and sensors for
the collection and processing of geodetic data in these maritime environments. Further, it
will provide an understanding of the error sources and uncertainties within these
instruments and systems, and how to address them at the observation level or post-
processing level.
For this area, proposals shall focus on maritime geodetic data collection and processing
and gaining an improved understanding of error sources and uncertainties within
maritime geodetic observation techniques and sensors, and examine how measurements
from one technique could be used to improve corrections for another geodetic technique.
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Proposals can also examine approaches for improved corrections for different geodetic
observation techniques, using geophysical and non-geophysical modeling.
3.2 Geomatics Subject Area
The goals of this subject area are to increase exposure and understanding of geomatics, through
research efforts with direct student involvement and course work and creating a broad foundation
that will allow students to move into geomatics related work or research roles.
Fulfillment of the goals for this subject area requires student exposure to three topics in
geomatics research:
• 3D geospatial and photogrammetry.
• Multimodal multiscale 3D scene reconstruction.
• Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) Applications.
As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to geomatic principles
and one of these three focus areas of research these geomatics research topics as described in
paragraphs 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3.
Colleges and universities with strong applied mathematics, geosciences and/or civil engineering
programs, but little to no prior research in geomatics, are encouraged to apply, as well as
institutions with prior geomatics science and photogrammetry experience.
Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and
graduate students involved in every activity. Students do not need to be involved in every
activity; however, Grantees are expected to include substantial student involvement; specifically,
involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in geodesy and its
application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address
broadening the exposure of individuals to geomatics.
Curriculum Development: Academic course development in one or more of the three focus areas
listed below is strongly recommended but not required. If included, the proposal shall provide
specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use,
course type (i.e., major, minor, or general elective), and the students the course is expected to
reach (i.e., undergraduate and/or graduate). The proposal should also indicate whether the course
being developed will support in class, remote learning, or both.
3.2.1 3D geospatial and photogrammetry
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support the explanation of
multi-view satellite photogrammetry in 3D geospatial research to:
• Enhance Digital Surface Model (DSM) generation.
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• Achieve feature-based detection and extraction (such as windows on a building/
light pole on the roads, etc.) in 3D.
• Conduct feature-based change detection and modeling in 3D to inform battle
damage assessment.
In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in 3D photogrammetry research while also increasing
student involvement.
3.2.2 Multimodal multiscale 3D scene reconstruction
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development is to promote an increased
understanding of 3D scene reconstruction to:
• Perform joint 3D scene reconstruction from different modalities (such as satellite,
drone, ground-based images, etc.).
• Understand uncertainties in multimodal/ multiscale datasets through
photogrammetric methods.
• Establish sensor agnostic framework to achieve generalizable and efficient 3D
scene reconstruction.
In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in 3D scene reconstruction research while also increasing
student involvement
3.2.3 Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) Applications
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will increase exposure and
understanding of using InSAR time series to:
• Establish seasonal and annual baselines of terrain.
• Understand uncertainties in the data.
• Employ these observations and trends to validate models that infer subsurface
processes (such as bio/geochemical, hydrological, etc.) to inform mobility and
infrastructure risk assessments.
In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in InSAR research while also increasing student
involvement.
3.3 Outside the Scope of this Topic
Any subject not explicitly described within Section 3.1 and 3.2 is considered outside the scope.
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4. Reporting Requirements and Oversight Activities
# ITEM DESCRIPTION DUE DATE SUBMIT TO
1 Kick-off Briefing in support of a project kick off meeting 45 days after start of Information will be
Meeting – that details the plan for the work, as well as any initial performance provided at award
Technical additional details since the proposal was submitted.
Assistance. Meeting will be in person at Grantee or NGA
location, or virtual at the discretion of the
Government. This is an opportunity for two-way
communication between the grantor and the award
recipient to ensure both parties understanding of
the work to be performed.
2 Quarterly RPPR status report. No later than 5 business Information will be
Research days after the end of each provided at award
Subject Area 1 & 2
Performance quarter of work
shall address the following as part of the report:
Progress
Report The quarterly report for
• Description of activities conducted that quarter
(RPPR)- the last quarter of the 12-
and accomplishments (block 25) Students
Oversight month reporting period is
doing substantive work relating to this Topic
replaced by the annual
Call
report.
(Include level, i.e., freshman, sophomore,
junior, senior, graduate as well as percentage
of time) (block 33)
• Student involved with the program who
obtained jobs in the field, including company
and position where possible (block 40)
• Other students exposed to or trained in Topic
Call Subject Areas through classes or other
activities (block 36)
• Status of academic papers (block 29,
conference talks (block 29), patents or similar
resulting from this work (block 31)
• Any other materials Grantee wants to provide
the Government (block 32)
• Others items of interest pertaining to the award
or student training (block 26)
If the RPRR does not provide sufficient space to
submit the information above, Grantees shall
submit an addendum with the information as part
of the RPRR.
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3 Financial Via Form SF-425 reports charges made during the Due with quarterly Information will be
Execution - quarter (include labor hours charges and rate, by RPPR; no later than 5 provided at award
Oversight labor category), cumulative totals, and remaining business days after the
funds. end of each quarter of
work.
4 Quarterly A discussion on status and progress in addition to Quarterly, NLT 10 days Information will be
Status the written quarterly RPRR. The first and third following receipt of the provided at award
Discussion – quarterly discussion will be approximately one quarterly RPRR.
Technical hour, held virtually, and focus on only the metrics
Assistance/Site and RPPR content. The second and fourth
Visits quarterly discussions will be in person (assume one
each year at the Government’s location and one at
the Grantees for costing purposes), half a day to a
day in length, and provide more detailed
presentations / discussions of the work undertaken
in the grant.
5 Annual RPPR- 90 days after the end of Information will be
Oversight the reporting period provided at award
6 Annual Update, re-certify, and resubmit Common 45 days prior to end of Information will be
Common Disclosure Forms for all covered individuals reporting period. provided at award
Disclosure (Biographical Sketch Common Form and Current
Forms- and Pending Support Common Form)
Oversight
6 Final RPPR- 90 days after the end of Information will be
Oversight the expiration or provided at award
termination of the award
7 Audits- The audit aims to ensure compliance with The Single Audit Act Information will be
Oversight government regulations and evaluate financial (amended in 1996) states provided at award
information, including expenses paid for with that grant recipients may
federal award funds. be subject to an audit
once a year.
Table 3: Reporting Requirements and Oversight Activities
5. Government Furnished Information/Data/Property
No Government furnished data or hardware will be provided in this topic call.
6. Security Considerations
Work under this effort will be at the unclassified level.
7.1. Unclassified Work Performance Security Requirements
Uncleared Contractor personnel are authorized to work on this contract at the unclassified level
only without the requirement of a security clearance
7.2. Uncleared Personnel Security Requirements
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Should NGA identify the use of unauthorized personnel, the Grants Officer (GO) may direct the
Contractor, at its own expense, to remove and replace any unauthorized Contractors,
Subcontractors, or other personnel performing on the contract. Such action may be taken at the
NGA's discretion without prejudice to its rights under any other contract provision, e.g.,
termination for default.
Uncleared Contractor personnel visiting NGA facilities or other sites may receive the appropriate
visitor badge and be escorted, as appropriate. The Contractor will return the visitor badge at the
end of each visit day.
7.3. Physical Security Requirements
Contractor personnel are forbidden from bringing prohibited or unauthorized items into any
NGA installation or other secure facility covered under this contract. These items include
weapons, cell phones, cameras, two-way pagers, laptops, recording devices of any kind, flash
drives, or any other removable media. Exceptions may be granted by NGA Security upon the
Contractor’s request. If granted, Contractor personnel must bring documentation showing
approval prior to entering with the item(s). Violations may subject the Contractor and its
offending personnel to civil and/or criminal liability IAW applicable laws and regulations
governing access to secure Government facilities.
7.4. Information Security Requirements
There are no information security requirements for this Topic Call.
7.5. Due Diligence Requirements
NGA conducts due diligence reviews in accordance with the DoD Policy for Risk-Based
Security Reviews of Fundamental Research. Please see the following link for more information
on disclosure and review requirements: https://basicresearch.defense.gov/Programs/Academic-
Research-Security/
7. Performance
8.1. Place of Performance:
The Applicant shall list place or places of performance in the proposal. If the Applicant wants to
collect data outside the United States and its Territories and their surrounding coastal waters, the
performer should notify NGA of this collection 45 days prior to the start of collection.
8.2. Period of Performance:
The resultant Grant will be established with a 24-month Base Funding Period with three (3) 12-
month Funding Periods, not to exceed a total of five (5) years. After funding the initial 24-month
period, additional funding increments will be provided at the sole discretion of the Government.
Applicants shall submit proposals that cover the entire proposed performance period; additional
funding increments which were not included in the original proposal cannot be added later.
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Appendix 1 Questions & Answers (Q&A)
# Topic 06 Reference Contractor Question Government Response
The grants.gov listing carries this notice:
"Interested parties must have an account to
log into the Classified IC-ARC to see the
notice, and all associated RFP documents.
Notice on Sam.gov and Topic 6 is Unclassified. The notice on Sam.gov and Grants.gov were
1 For additional support with account access,
Grants.gov updated to provide clarification.
please contact the Classified ACE Help Desk
at 855-4ACE.”
Is Topic 6 Classified or Unclassified
About the inclusion of focus areas, the
geodesy section text states:
“As a minimum, proposals shall address how
they will expose students to the fundamental
geodetic science principals and one of these
three focus areas of research as described in Geodesy and Geomatics should have the same requirement, and they
paragraphs 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3” while the should only require “one of these three focus areas of research”. Section
geomatics section states: 3.2 has been revised as follows:
2 BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v1
"As a minimum, proposals shall address how “As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to
they will expose students to these geomatics geomatic principals and one of these three focus areas of research as
research topics as described in paragraphs described in paragraphs 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3.” (Section 3.2. third
3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3" paragraph)
We interpret this as allowing us to propose to
as few as one of the three focus areas in
geodesy, but all three of the focus areas in
geomatics. Is this correct?
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The term “education” in Topic 6 is referred to course work or classroom
work, and “research” is referred to as a study that advances our
understanding of a subject. For a student, becoming part of a
geodetic/geomatics research effort is increasing their educational
experience in these subjects and more because they are learning to
function as part of a research team.
Reading the solicitation, we believe that the
education and research should be co-equal The focus of MUSE is exposing students to geodesy and geomatics.
3 BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v1
components of our proposal. Is this the Whether this is mostly done in the classroom with or without field work
correct understanding? or getting students involved through conducting research is the
Applicant’s call and needs to be clearly described in the abstract and
proposal.
There needs to be a training aspect to the proposal, and the training can be
in the classroom through course work or lab/field experience. The balance
between course work and research does not need to be 50-50.
Are faculty who are not USA nationals Topic 6 has no restrictions for foreign participation, including PIs.
4 BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v1 allowed to be lead PIs on proposals to this
solicitation.
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BIGST BAA (HM047623BAA0001)
Topic # 06 – Magnifying University Science Expertise (MUSE) 2
Document Change History
Date Description
3/16/2026 Updated Section 3.2 Geomatics Subject Area
3/16/2026 Added Questions and Answers
03/24/2026 Updated Submission Instructions
03/24/2026 Extended Abstract Submission Date to 31 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
04/01/2026 Update the Abstract Feedback to 10 April 2026
Table 1: Document Change History
Expected Awards
The Government intends to issue one or more awards per subject area described below in
Sections 3.1 and 3.2. The Government reserves the right to cancel and/or issue no awards. All
awards are subject to the availability of funds.
Award Type: GRANT, Cost Only (No Fee)
Budget
The total budget for the MUSE 2 is $25.0M across all awards. The maximum amounts for each
Funding Period for the multiple awards are as follows:
Funding Period 1 (24 months): $1.0M
Funding Period 2 (12 months): $0.5M
Funding Period 3 (12 months): $0.5M
Funding Period 4 (12 months): $0.5M
Note: Proposed Travel costs cannot exceed 4% of the Applicant’s overall proposed price.
Topic Technology Readiness Level (TRL):
This BAA Topic is limited to projects that meet Technology Readiness Level (TRL) definitions
in the TRL range 1–6. Definitions can be found in the BIGST BAA General Solicitation
(HM047623BAA0001).
Dates
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Topic 06: MUSE2 Ver 4
Topic Posting 25 February 2026
Questions Due 09 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Q&A Posting 16 March 2026
Abstracts Due 31 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Abstract Feedback 10 April 2026
Proposals Due 7 May 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Estimated Period of
12 August 2026
Performance Start:
Table 2: Dates
Submission Instructions
Please review BIGST BAA General Solicitation (HM047623BAA0001), all associated Revision
documents, and specifically Appendix 1 – Abstract Template, Appendix 2 – Proposal Template,
and Appendix 5 - Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal Preparation & Submission
Instructions.
Please email Abstracts to the Grants Officer, Viphalac Chanthaphone at
Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist, Nathalie Nlate at
Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil.
Proposal shall be submitted via Grants.gov. Please send a courtesy email to the Grants Officer,
Viphalac Chanthaphone at Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist,
Nathalie Nlate at Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil, to ensure NGA is aware of the application submitted
in Grants.gov. Upon successful download of the application package from Grants.gov, NGA will
provide the Applicant confirmation status.
All questions shall be submitted directly to the Grants Officer, Viphalac Chanthaphone at
Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist, Nathalie Nlate at
Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil using the Q&A template located in Appendix 1 of this Topic Call.
1. Topic Research Opportunity Description
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) GEOINT Innovation and Research
(GEOINT I&R) Directorate (formerly Research & Development (R&D) Directorate) seeks to
increase the breadth and depth of knowledge to key science and technology areas of need to the
geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) community and advance the state of practice in:
• Geodesy
• Geomatics
Approaches developed under this topic shall:
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• Provide coursework in geodesy and geomatics.
• Increase the numbers of students who are highly educated in geodesy and geomatics.
• Provide opportunities for students under the proposed curriculums to develop skills in
geodetic and/or geomatics work.
• Support students doing substantive research and coursework relating to the subjects of
interest identified in this Topic Call.
• Prepare students for careers in geodesy/geomatics.
2. Background
The geodesy mission of the NGA’s Mapping, Charting and Geodesy (MC&G) domain is to
better understand the earth to improve navigation, mapping, charting, tides, and geodetic
products as called out in U.S. Code Title 10, Subtitle A, Part 1, Chapter 22. To address this
mission, NGA created the World Geodetic System (WGS). NGA’s WGS is a system of geodetic
systems; at its heart is the terrestrial reference frame (TRF). The Earth Gravitational Model 2008
(EGM2008), and World Magnetic Model (WMM) are two geodetic models within WGS. Future
WGS iterations could contain new models of plate motion and tides (both solid earth and ocean).
Geodesy is the science that studies the size, shape, and orientation of the earth in space, its
gravity field, and how its shape and orientation, in relation to the stars, and the earth’s gravity
field are changing over time. The earth’s orientation and motion through space is defined relative
to the stars that are in the celestial sphere. Location in this celestial sphere is defined in terms of
its coordinates in the Celestial Reference Frame (CRF), similar to the earth’s latitude and
longitude system used to plot positions within the Terrestrial Reference Frame (TRF) for points
residing on a reference ellipsoid.
While geodetic science is very old, dating back to the ancient Greeks trying to understand the
size and shape of the Earth, it is a very important and highly relevant science today, especially
considering that over 4 billion users rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) each day to
determine their position on Earth. It is because of the desire to accurately determine one’s
position, and understand our planet and its temporal evolution, that geodesy is one of the few
science disciplines that cares about accuracies at parts per billion.
Geomatics is a complimentary branch of the science to geodesy that is associated with the
collection, analysis, and interpretation of spatial data related to the Earth’s surface. It
encompasses a number of technologies and techniques, including the fields of surveying,
mapping, remote sensing, photogrammetry, hydrology, GPS, and Geographical Information
Systems (GIS) to gain understanding and solve problems related to the Earth’s surface.
Although the relative importance of geodetic sciences and geomatics to modern society has been
on the increase over the past couple of decades, the research conducted, and the number of
students being trained in these sciences has greatly declined in U.S. colleges and universities.
This shift jeopardizes future advancements and the future geodetic sciences workforce in the
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United States. U.S. Government agencies involved in geodetic research and development are
finding it harder to recruit highly educated personnel skilled in geodetic and/or geomatics work.
3. Project Structure/Scope
Grantees have considerable latitude to focus on geodetic and/or geomatic topics of interest,
provided they:
• Achieve the goals set out for each subject area (sections 3.1 and 3.2 below).
• Advance the state of practice in geodesy and/or geomatic research.
• Increase student involvement and exposure to geodetic and/or geomatic principles.
Each subject area, geodesy and geomatics, requires the separate submission of an abstract and
proposal:
• Any proposal which attempts to address more than one subject area in a single
submission will not be considered.
• An institution and a principal investigator are permitted to make a submission for more
than one subject area.
• Abstracts and proposals shall clearly identify which one of the two subject areas they are
addressing.
Proposals shall endeavor to create interest in the students they reach, not only for the scientific
advancement, but also for careers and applications in this science. This applies to both direct
student involvement and curriculum development.
Grantees shall construct their project in accordance with the Funding Periods of Performance
outlined above.
Proposals shall provide a clear breakdown of what the Grantee intends to accomplish within each
Funding Period, along with a schedule and detailed milestones for these activities.
3.1 Geodesy Subject Area
The goals of this subject area are to increase exposure and understanding of geodetic science
through research efforts with direct student involvement and course work; and to create a broad
foundation that will allow students to move into geodesy related work or research roles.
Geodetic science is built upon fundamental principles: “Geometric Geodesy” including terrestrial
reference frame (TRF) and Earth orientation parameters (EOP), and “Physical Geodesy and
Geophysics” including potential field observations and modeling (gravitational and magnetic
fields). Fulfillment of the goals for this subject area requires student exposure to these
fundamental principles in their coursework and research into:
• Gravity Field and Geoid Modeling.
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• Crustal and Core Magnetic Field Observations and Modeling.
• Marine geodetic data collection techniques and sensors.
As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to the fundamental
geodetic science principles and one of these three focus areas of research as described in
paragraphs 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3.
Colleges and universities with strong applied mathematics, geophysics and/or aerospace
engineering (orbital mechanics) programs, but little to no prior research in geodesy, are
encouraged to apply, as well as institutions with prior geodetic science experience.
Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and
graduate students involved in every activity. Students do not need to be involved in every
activity; however, Grantees are expected to include substantial student involvement; specifically,
involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in geodesy and its
application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address
broadening the exposure of individuals to geodesy.
Curriculum Development: Academic course development in one or more of the three focus areas
listed below is strongly recommended but not required. If included, the proposal shall provide
specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use,
course type (i.e., major, minor, or general elective), and the students the course is expected to
reach (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, etc.). The proposal should also indicate whether the course
being developed will support in class, remote learning, or both.
3.1.1 Gravity Field and Geoid Modeling
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support an understanding of
the type, quality, and quantity of gravitational data needed, and how to determine what
data and models should be used to improve our understanding of Earth’s gravitational
fields.
Additional, modeling of the earth’s gravitational fields requires use of a large number of
observations from different sources, with differing accuracies, and collected at different
distances from the Earth’s surface. These data sources, include terrestrial, marine,
airborne, and space-based observations including both space gravity missions and
satellite altimetry missions. In addition, satellite gravity missions like Gravity Recovery
and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation
Explorer (GOCE), which form the long wavelength basis of gravitational models, suffer
from aliasing and noise, and require careful treatment of solutions and associated error
properties. This leads to several challenges in the modeling of these potential fields, to
include the problem of downward continuation. In addition, significant areas of our
planet are void of the data required to develop high accuracy and high-resolution
gravitational models. This necessitates use of forward gravity modeling techniques,
employing other data sources (e.g., elevations).
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For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the several challenges in modeling
gravitational fields and geoid modeling, including the accuracies of different data types,
and how each proposed solution contributes to mitigating the uncertainties of the
resulting model.
3.1.2 Crustal and Core Magnetic Field Observations and Modeling
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support an understanding of
investigate approaches used to collect, process, and use magnetic data in the modeling of
the Earth’s crustal field or core field. Further, it will explain what data and models should
be used to improve our ability to map crustal magnetic field anomalies and their
associated uncertainties and the preferred data and models used to improve our
understanding of Earth’s core magnetic field.
Modeling of the Earth’s crustal and core magnetic fields requires large amounts of
observations from different sources, with differing accuracies, and collected at different
distances from the Earth’s surface over decades. This leads to several challenges in the
modeling of these potential fields, to include the problem of downward continuation.
Furthermore, significant areas of our planet are void of the data required to develop high
accuracy and resolution crustal magnetic models. This necessitates use of forward
modeling techniques, employing other data sources (e.g., elevations). In addition, satellite
missions like SWARM and Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP), which form the
long wavelength basis of magnetic field models, suffer from aliasing and noise, and
require careful treatment of solutions and associated error properties.
For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the several challenges in modeling
gravitational and magnetic fields, including the accuracies of different data types, and
how each proposed solution contributes to mitigating the uncertainties of the resulting
model.
3.1.3 Marine Geodetic Data Collection Techniques and Sensors
Over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, inclusion of this focus area in
curriculum development will provide insights into investigate approaches and sensors for
the collection and processing of geodetic data in these maritime environments. Further, it
will provide an understanding of the error sources and uncertainties within these
instruments and systems, and how to address them at the observation level or post-
processing level.
For this area, proposals shall focus on maritime geodetic data collection and processing
and gaining an improved understanding of error sources and uncertainties within
maritime geodetic observation techniques and sensors, and examine how measurements
from one technique could be used to improve corrections for another geodetic technique.
Proposals can also examine approaches for improved corrections for different geodetic
observation techniques, using geophysical and non-geophysical modeling.
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3.2 Geomatics Subject Area
The goals of this subject area are to increase exposure and understanding of geomatics, through
research efforts with direct student involvement and course work and creating a broad foundation
that will allow students to move into geomatics related work or research roles.
Fulfillment of the goals for this subject area requires student exposure to three topics in
geomatics research:
• 3D geospatial and photogrammetry.
• Multimodal multiscale 3D scene reconstruction.
• Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) Applications.
As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to geomatic principles
and one of these three focus areas of research as described in paragraphs 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3.
Colleges and universities with strong applied mathematics, geosciences and/or civil engineering
programs, but little to no prior research in geomatics, are encouraged to apply, as well as
institutions with prior geomatics science and photogrammetry experience.
Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and
graduate students involved in every activity. Students do not need to be involved in every
activity; however, Grantees are expected to include substantial student involvement; specifically,
involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in geodesy and its
application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address
broadening the exposure of individuals to geomatics.
Curriculum Development: Academic course development in one or more of the three focus areas
listed below is strongly recommended but not required. If included, the proposal shall provide
specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use,
course type (i.e., major, minor, or general elective), and the students the course is expected to
reach (i.e., undergraduate and/or graduate). The proposal should also indicate whether the course
being developed will support in class, remote learning, or both.
3.2.1 3D geospatial and photogrammetry
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support the explanation of
multi-view satellite photogrammetry in 3D geospatial research to:
• Enhance Digital Surface Model (DSM) generation.
• Achieve feature-based detection and extraction (such as windows on a building/
light pole on the roads, etc.) in 3D.
• Conduct feature-based change detection and modeling in 3D to inform battle
damage assessment.
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In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in 3D photogrammetry research while also increasing
student involvement.
3.2.2 Multimodal multiscale 3D scene reconstruction
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development is to promote an increased
understanding of 3D scene reconstruction to:
• Perform joint 3D scene reconstruction from different modalities (such as satellite,
drone, ground-based images, etc.).
• Understand uncertainties in multimodal/ multiscale datasets through
photogrammetric methods.
• Establish sensor agnostic framework to achieve generalizable and efficient 3D
scene reconstruction.
In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in 3D scene reconstruction research while also increasing
student involvement
3.2.3 Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) Applications
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will increase exposure and
understanding of using InSAR time series to:
• Establish seasonal and annual baselines of terrain.
• Understand uncertainties in the data.
• Employ these observations and trends to validate models that infer subsurface
processes (such as bio/geochemical, hydrological, etc.) to inform mobility and
infrastructure risk assessments.
In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in InSAR research while also increasing student
involvement.
3.3 Outside the Scope of this Topic
Any subject not explicitly described within Section 3.1 and 3.2 is considered outside the scope.
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4. Reporting Requirements and Oversight Activities
# ITEM DESCRIPTION DUE DATE SUBMIT TO
1 Kick-off Briefing in support of a project kick off meeting 45 days after start of Information will be
Meeting – that details the plan for the work, as well as any initial performance provided at award
Technical additional details since the proposal was submitted.
Assistance. Meeting will be in person at Grantee or NGA
location, or virtual at the discretion of the
Government. This is an opportunity for two-way
communication between the grantor and the award
recipient to ensure both parties understanding of
the work to be performed.
2 Quarterly RPPR status report. No later than 5 business Information will be
Research days after the end of each provided at award
Subject Area 1 & 2
Performance quarter of work
shall address the following as part of the report:
Progress
Report The quarterly report for
• Description of activities conducted that quarter
(RPPR)- the last quarter of the 12-
and accomplishments (block 25) Students
Oversight month reporting period is
doing substantive work relating to this Topic
replaced by the annual
Call
report.
(Include level, i.e., freshman, sophomore,
junior, senior, graduate as well as percentage
of time) (block 33)
• Student involved with the program who
obtained jobs in the field, including company
and position where possible (block 40)
• Other students exposed to or trained in Topic
Call Subject Areas through classes or other
activities (block 36)
• Status of academic papers (block 29,
conference talks (block 29), patents or similar
resulting from this work (block 31)
• Any other materials Grantee wants to provide
the Government (block 32)
• Others items of interest pertaining to the award
or student training (block 26)
If the RPRR does not provide sufficient space to
submit the information above, Grantees shall
submit an addendum with the information as part
of the RPRR.
3 Financial Via Form SF-425 reports charges made during the Due with quarterly Information will be
Execution - quarter (include labor hours charges and rate, by RPPR; no later than 5 provided at award
Oversight labor category), cumulative totals, and remaining business days after the
funds. end of each quarter of
work.
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4 Quarterly A discussion on status and progress in addition to Quarterly, NLT 10 days Information will be
Status the written quarterly RPRR. The first and third following receipt of the provided at award
Discussion – quarterly discussion will be approximately one quarterly RPRR.
Technical hour, held virtually, and focus on only the metrics
Assistance/Site and RPPR content. The second and fourth
Visits quarterly discussions will be in person (assume one
each year at the Government’s location and one at
the Grantees for costing purposes), half a day to a
day in length, and provide more detailed
presentations / discussions of the work undertaken
in the grant.
5 Annual RPPR- 90 days after the end of Information will be
Oversight the reporting period provided at award
6 Annual Update, re-certify, and resubmit Common 45 days prior to end of Information will be
Common Disclosure Forms for all covered individuals reporting period. provided at award
Disclosure (Biographical Sketch Common Form and Current
Forms- and Pending Support Common Form)
Oversight
6 Final RPPR- 90 days after the end of Information will be
Oversight the expiration or provided at award
termination of the award
7 Audits- The audit aims to ensure compliance with The Single Audit Act Information will be
Oversight government regulations and evaluate financial (amended in 1996) states provided at award
information, including expenses paid for with that grant recipients may
federal award funds. be subject to an audit
once a year.
Table 3: Reporting Requirements and Oversight Activities
5. Government Furnished Information/Data/Property
No Government furnished data or hardware will be provided in this topic call.
6. Security Considerations
Work under this effort will be at the unclassified level.
7.1. Unclassified Work Performance Security Requirements
Uncleared Contractor personnel are authorized to work on this contract at the unclassified level
only without the requirement of a security clearance
7.2. Uncleared Personnel Security Requirements
Should NGA identify the use of unauthorized personnel, the Grants Officer (GO) may direct the
Contractor, at its own expense, to remove and replace any unauthorized Contractors,
Subcontractors, or other personnel performing on the contract. Such action may be taken at the
NGA's discretion without prejudice to its rights under any other contract provision, e.g.,
termination for default.
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Uncleared Contractor personnel visiting NGA facilities or other sites may receive the appropriate
visitor badge and be escorted, as appropriate. The Contractor will return the visitor badge at the
end of each visit day.
7.3. Physical Security Requirements
Contractor personnel are forbidden from bringing prohibited or unauthorized items into any
NGA installation or other secure facility covered under this contract. These items include
weapons, cell phones, cameras, two-way pagers, laptops, recording devices of any kind, flash
drives, or any other removable media. Exceptions may be granted by NGA Security upon the
Contractor’s request. If granted, Contractor personnel must bring documentation showing
approval prior to entering with the item(s). Violations may subject the Contractor and its
offending personnel to civil and/or criminal liability IAW applicable laws and regulations
governing access to secure Government facilities.
7.4. Information Security Requirements
There are no information security requirements for this Topic Call.
7.5. Due Diligence Requirements
NGA conducts due diligence reviews in accordance with the DoD Policy for Risk-Based
Security Reviews of Fundamental Research. Please see the following link for more information
on disclosure and review requirements: https://basicresearch.defense.gov/Programs/Academic-
Research-Security/
7. Performance
8.1. Place of Performance:
The Applicant shall list place or places of performance in the proposal. If the Applicant wants to
collect data outside the United States and its Territories and their surrounding coastal waters, the
performer should notify NGA of this collection 45 days prior to the start of collection.
8.2. Period of Performance:
The resultant Grant will be established with a 24-month Base Funding Period with three (3) 12-
month Funding Periods, not to exceed a total of five (5) years. After funding the initial 24-month
period, additional funding increments will be provided at the sole discretion of the Government.
Applicants shall submit proposals that cover the entire proposed performance period; additional
funding increments which were not included in the original proposal cannot be added later.
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Appendix 1 Questions & Answers (Q&A)
# Topic 06 Reference Contractor Question Government Response
The grants.gov listing carries this notice:
"Interested parties must have an account to
log into the Classified IC-ARC to see the
notice, and all associated RFP documents.
Notice on Sam.gov and Topic 6 is Unclassified. The notice on Sam.gov and Grants.gov were
1 For additional support with account access,
Grants.gov updated to provide clarification.
please contact the Classified ACE Help Desk
at 855-4ACE.”
Is Topic 6 Classified or Unclassified
About the inclusion of focus areas, the
geodesy section text states:
“As a minimum, proposals shall address how
they will expose students to the fundamental
geodetic science principals and one of these
three focus areas of research as described in Geodesy and Geomatics should have the same requirement, and they
paragraphs 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3” while the should only require “one of these three focus areas of research”. Section
geomatics section states: 3.2 has been revised as follows:
2 BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v1
"As a minimum, proposals shall address how “As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to
they will expose students to these geomatics geomatic principals and one of these three focus areas of research as
research topics as described in paragraphs described in paragraphs 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3.” (Section 3.2. third
3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3" paragraph)
We interpret this as allowing us to propose to
as few as one of the three focus areas in
geodesy, but all three of the focus areas in
geomatics. Is this correct?
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The term “education” in Topic 6 is referred to course work or classroom
work, and “research” is referred to as a study that advances our
understanding of a subject. For a student, becoming part of a
geodetic/geomatics research effort is increasing their educational
experience in these subjects and more because they are learning to
function as part of a research team.
Reading the solicitation, we believe that the
education and research should be co-equal The focus of MUSE is exposing students to geodesy and geomatics.
3 BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v1
components of our proposal. Is this the Whether this is mostly done in the classroom with or without field work
correct understanding? or getting students involved through conducting research is the
Applicant’s call and needs to be clearly described in the abstract and
proposal.
There needs to be a training aspect to the proposal, and the training can be
in the classroom through course work or lab/field experience. The balance
between course work and research does not need to be 50-50.
Are faculty who are not USA nationals Topic 6 has no restrictions for foreign participation, including PIs.
4 BIGST_BAA_T06_MUSE_2v1 allowed to be lead PIs on proposals to this
solicitation.
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BIG-ST BAA (HM0476-23-BAA-0001)

Topic # 01 – Geospatial-Intelligence Foundation Model (GFM)

For instructions on submission of abstracts and proposals and evaluation of proposals, please review BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation (HM047623BAA0001).

Document Change History

Title

Geospatial-Intelligence Foundational Model (GFM)

Expected Awards

The Government plans to make one award, but may make multiple awards or none.

The amount of resources made available under this BAA Topic will depend on the quality of the proposals received, the availability of funds, and the proven value of the capabilities developed in subsequent years.

Budget

The estimated budget range for one award is as follows:

Base Period (12 months): $2.8 - 3.0M

Option Period 1 (12 months): $2.8 - 3.0M

Option Period 2 (12 months): $3.7 - 4.0M

Option Period 3 (12 months): $3.7 - 4.0M

Smaller budget proposals may be considered as long as the technical requirements and all deliverables outlined in this topic call are fulfilled.

Topic Technology Readiness Level (TRL): 2-6

This BAA Topic is limited to projects that meet Technology Readiness Level (TRL) definitions in the TRL range 2-6. If the base effort develops a promising technology demonstration (TRL 2-3), budget will be allocated in Option Year (OY) 1 for architecture optimization (TRL 3-4), in OY2 for application design and component integration (TRL 4-5), and in OY3 for integration and testing (TRL 5-6).

Our aim in the base period is to develop a trained foundational neural network model able to ingest overhead and ground-level imagery and vector data. The design solution will answer geospatial questions with accuracy and precision while demonstrating a proof of concept sufficient to seek further development in this area.

Dates

• Table 1. Dates

Point of Contact (POC)

Please send all questions and submissions to the Contracting Officer (CO): Daniela Garavito

Email Address: BIGSTBAA@nga.mil

➔ Use the following email subject for all email correspondence: ‘TOPIC 01 –GFM’

# Topic Research Opportunity Description

This research topic will explore approaches to developing a new type of Multimodal Foundation Model (MFM) to ingest overhead and ground-level imagery, vector data, terrain data, and ground level images, then show adaptability to perform novel, previously unencountered tasks without being retrained. It will answer specific geospatial questions with verifiable precision and accuracy paired with a rigorously determined level of confidence that can be expressed to an analyst, which will communicate the amount of trust that can be placed in the machine generated answer. It will demonstrate how performance scales with the size of the network designed for geospatial information.

This research topic covers GFM, geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI), multimodal machine learning, contrastive machine learning, masked autoencoding, unsupervised machine learning, semi- and self-supervised machine learning, fully supervised machine learning, transformer architectures, cross view image matching, neural networks, Vision Transformers, Shifted Windows (SWIN) Transformers, remote sensing, and geographic information system (GIS).

The goal of this research will be to deliver a geographically aware foundational model--or assembly of foundation models--that can form components of a powerful virtual assistant for analysts to geolocate media or objects or answer questions requiring specific geospatial understanding. By the end of the program, the assistant should be able to save analysts significant time in searching for, and within, geospatial sources. Both the questions and responses provided will not be linguistic; instead they will be graphically or pictorially expressed. Successful demonstrations based on this GFM will include:

• Geolocating ground level imagery using image content alone to within 1000m of ground truth.

• Geolocating aerial imagery or a collection of point line and area geospatial features without assisting geo-registered metadata to within 500m of ground truth.

• Reconstructing correctly labeled and attributed point, line, and area geospatial features from remotely sensed imagery (generating a map where map features have attributes), and generating plausible overhead and ground level imagery from point line and area based geo-registered data input.

• Appropriately transforming between panchromatic and multispectral overhead imagery, generating seasonally correct image predictions.

# Background and Purpose

In 2022, some significant new capabilities were released to the public based on large “foundation” machine learning models. These foundation models were Generative Pre-training Transformer (GPT) and Contrastive Language Image Pretraining (CLIP). The following information is provided to demonstrate our understanding of existing capabilities and NGA’s desire to seek novel solutions that are not solely dependent on previously explored capabilities.

GPT is a Large Language Model (LLM) of 1.7 trillion parameters designed to efficiently predict sequences of words based on its training using trillions of “tokens,” encoding text from millions of internet-based sources, and having the emergent capability of being able to answer questions interactively. GPT is capable of answering verbally posed questions with eloquent verbal answers; this technology forms the foundation of the popular ChatGPT capability that is now commonly used to write poetry and novel stories from simple prompts or to summarize or expand on text it is given in longer engineered prompts.

CLIP is a Large Machine Learning Model of 63 million parameters trained with a “contrastive” technique using 400 million image-language pairs encoding bits of text with related tokens encoding bits of photos. Based on the “embeddings” (correlations) created by the contrastive training between text and photos CLIP is able to generate accurate captions and descriptions of image prompts. When paired with a stable diffusion model, CLIP can generate realistic images based on text prompts. CLIP is the technology foundation for the popular Dall-E3 capability that is now commonly used to create graphics and digital art.

More recently, in April 2023, Scale-aware Masked Auto Encoding (ScaleMAE) was published. This is the new state of the art in reconstructing geo-registered imagery. NGA is now embarking on a DoD Frontier project to combine the ScaleMAE technique with a Large Language Model to construct an automated image interpretation assistant.

An older model that NGA has performed some experimentation with is GeoEstimation. This 2018 model pioneers one method of incorporating geospatial location in the training data to geolocate photos.

NGA experimentation with these models has highlighted some challenges to their use in our field. First, they tend to “hallucinate” and have a significant rate of producing incorrect answers because of linguistic word substitutions that fail to properly use precise language. In the case below, the use of the preposition “near” is problematic because the coordinates may be near on a global scale, but perhaps would not be considered near for an analyst. Large Language Models are not trained with geospatial data, so they are exceedingly poor at answering geospatial questions accurately or asking for clarification on tasks.

The statement regarding coordinates not being able to identify a precise place is incorrect and indicates that the linguistic model alone is the wrong tool to use to answer geospatial questions. Similar errors are seen using CLIP based models, because the CLIP model embeddings correlate images and words, but not specific geolocations, thus any question requiring complex or specific geospatial understanding will not be answered correctly by such a foundation model alone.

While ScaleMAE shows wonderful capability at being able to reconstruct satellite imagery at multiple levels of resolution and it is trained with some location information, it does not include robust geospatial feature understanding or language data. Any linguistically posed questions requiring geospatial preposition understanding, geospatial distance understanding, or cardinal direction understanding as those that might be posed by an analyst will be beyond its unassisted capability to answer.

GeoEstimation, partly because of its specific focus on image-based geolocalization and because of its size, is not a sufficiently robust general geospatial Earth model to support a variety of geospatial queries. Its current accuracy for performing even the task for which it was designed is below the threshold required for NGA.

The insufficiencies of geospatial services built using machine learning approaches are well documented in a paper by Gengchen Mai, et al. “On the Opportunities and Challenges of Foundation Models for Geospatial Intelligence”. There exists no machine learning based capability to derive accurate answers from a variety of information in heterogeneous geospatial data types, as is illustrated below, or to combine several machine learning based capabilities to assemble a virtual team of assistants to accomplish this task.

# Project Structure/Scope

The GFM project will address the insufficiencies of current foundational models by producing a foundation model with a heterogeneous set of geospatial data to support a digital assistant capable of answering intelligence questions requiring geospatial understanding. In simple terms, it will “teach” the machine what the Earth is like all over so it can answer questions accurately and communicate its confidence in those answers.

The research requested will explore architectures for correlating multiple types of geospatial data. This approach to correlated data will improve accuracy of responses to geospatially related questions from the analyst.

Base Period – Proof of Concept

The base period is for a scientific investigative effort (TRL 2-3). This period will explore various architectures to determine those most likely to be successful. The goal of the base period is to adapt neural network architectures and principles to the field of geospatial reasoning so that the answers produced are accurate, precise, and high confidence. At the conclusion of the base period, an industry leading proof of concept GFM shall be created and demonstrated. This base period research will also demonstrate any scaling relationship between the size of the network (number of parameters) and its performance. Neural network architectures were invented more than 50 years ago; however, only recently was it realized that extending their scale into the trillion-parameter range for language data would result in new emergent behavior. In the event that a larger scale model for geospatial data is indicated by this research, then additional resources may be applied.

The fundamental challenges that need to be addressed are:

Challenge 1 – Network Design:

Engineer an appropriate network with a sufficient number of parameters to be able to contain the required information. The network architecture design shall be based on theory guided by the task and data to be processed. This will involve several iterations at different scales to determine how scaling the network improves performance. This network architecture and design needs to be complete, implemented, and initially trained sufficiently to demonstrate industry leading capability, even if scaling to a much larger model is indicated by the research.

Challenge 2 – Tokenizing Method:

Develop a method for encoding geo-registered points lines and complex polygons into “tokens” so that the information contained in the data can be captured by the network for training and subsequent reasoning. For the purposes of this project, text and picture tokenization methods have been sufficiently explored and can be adopted from publications, if needed. Tokenization methods for pictures will be required in this research because images are an important component of the training data. New tokenization methods will need to be invented for encoding the shape and attributes stored in geospatial points, lines, and complex polygons. The type of geospatial data shown below is typical of what will need to be used for training.

In the upper left, this graphic shows remote sensing images from different dates that can be used as training data to understand what an area looks like from above in different seasons. It shows six different geospatial data sets that roughly correlate with the two remotely sensed images to inform the network about the geospatial features that correlate with the remotely sensed imagery. Finally, it also shows two ground level images of the thousands that exist in that area that illustrate how those features appear from a ground level perspective. Other data sets like population density data, terrain, or elevation data may also be important to use for training; however, in this particular example the terrain is flat.

Geospatial information tokenization methods must be designed to work with the neural network or transformer-based network designed under Challenge 1. The tokenization method must be designed, implemented, and used to ingest Open Street Map data. This geospatial data will be correlated with ground level imagery, terrain data, and remotely sensed imagery in the architecture specified under Challenge 1. The cross correlation of these data sets will form a set of geographically unique “embeddings” across the Earth, so that specific geospatial questions can be answered given inputs well aligned with any of the input data types.

Optional Challenge 3 – ML Teaming:

Investigate teaming of machine learning systems. While not required to investigate this as part of this effort, NGA will recognize and support work in this area if performers describe how this type of architecture will lead to efficiency gains over a single model.

Optional Challenge 4 - Machine-to-Machine Interfaces or Continuous Learning:

Investigate interfaces with non-machine learning based systems or continual learning systems. While not required to investigate this as part of this effort, NGA will recognize and support work in this area if performers describe how they will mitigate the issue of “concept drift” through a hybrid architecture more complex than a simple machine learning approach.

Most major machine learning based models in use have been trained with data sets that were only current up to the time the model began to be used. Because the world continues to evolve past the time when these models were trained, they “drift” in their understanding of the present reality. There are three techniques to mitigate this issue. One is to make systems continuously learn so that the “concept drift” does not occur. Another is to engineer a system capable of accessing up-to-date databases or more rigorous computational systems. This is how online AI’s like Google Bard and Microsoft Bing operate, by allowing them to query the open internet prior to providing an answer to a query. To our knowledge, there does not exist an interface between an AI system and a large GIS. The final approach to solve this problem is through prompt engineering as is now frequently done with LLMs.

Option Period 1 - Optimization

• During Option Period 1, the performer will refine the best performing proof of concept developed in the base period into a laboratory proven capability that can be delivered to NGA Research for independent experimentation and testing, (TRL 3-4). The capability is not expected to be sufficiently developed for actual analytical use, but should clearly demonstrate how effectively a trained model of the type designed will perform if constructed.

Option Period 2 – Component Integration

During Option Period 2, the performer shall refine the capability for NGA’s integration into a Government-owned environment (TRL 4-5), which will then be tested independently by the performer in their facility. Afterwards, NGA will conduct testing with relevant classified subjects. By the end of this option period, an initial fully automated, machine learning trained, digital assistant for analysts shall be demonstrated by the performer.

Option Period 3- Relevant Environment Testing

In the previous option period, NGA will have developed an initially integrated digital assistant making use of the GFM capability. The four challenges (if applicable) will have been addressed and may only need refinement. That refinement of the capability will result in regular software deliveries for independent testing by NGA both in the unclassified and classified environments. During Option Period 3, the performer will further refine the code base and complete integration with other Machine Learning assemblies. Other assemblies will be discussed as part of development after contract award. (TRL 5-6)

Outside the Scope of this Topic

• Solutions employing only large language models (LLM) or CLIP type models. The research has to address geospatial point line and polygon data and relationships between multiple types of geo-registered data.

• An approach where GIS data or geospatial vectors are transformed into a rasterized format and encoded for the network like an overhead image will not be an approach considered in this research because this approach will not be able to encode the attributes associated with the geospatial data.

• Any original data collection efforts.

• Any hardware purchases.

# Performance Metrics

Performers shall meet the following metrics:

• Table 2. Technical Requirements –Metrics and Milestones Table

The NGA is mostly interested in generating the GFM capability so specific source data formats can be converted at test time. Vendors should plan on source data in commonly used formats like .jpg, .shp, GeoJSON, GeoTIFF, etc.

To measure progress throughout the course of the project, some specific metrics must be used. For a project involving a machine learning capability with graphical output, not all of these metrics can be quantitatively evaluated so the value of progress, especially in later phases, may be judged by the qualitative utility of the evolving system to the analysts. The following tests are being considered for the resultant model or system of models:

Photograph to Location:

When presented with a photograph, predict within 1000m the geographic location in which it was captured. This will require correlation between ground images, satellite images, terrain data, a geographic reference system, and worldwide geospatial data coverage to constrain the search. NGA maintains testing data with over 100,000 geolocated images worldwide to be used for this. The ground truth geolocations of the images will not be released for this BAA. The effectiveness of the tool as measured by this metric will be how close the derived geolocations are to the ground truth, the area of uncertainty associated with each geolocation, and how well the confidence estimate represents its true performance. Evaluation for this measure is quantitative and repeatable. Successful efforts must far surpass state of the art as defined by https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360311029_Where_in_the_World_is_this_Image_Transformer-based_Geo-localization_in_the_Wild

Satellite Image to Location:

When presented with a satellite image, whether panchromatic or multispectral, predict within 500m the geographic location in which it was captured regardless of the season in which it was taken. This will require training with satellite images and worldwide geospatial data coverage to constrain the search and a method for indexing global satellite imagery. NGA will easily be able to have a test set of thousands of satellite image chips of various resolutions and spectral attributes to test this capability. The ground truth geolocations of the images will not be released as part of the BAA. The effectiveness of the tool as measured by this metric will be how close the derived geolocations are to the ground truth, the area of uncertainty associated with each geolocation, and how well the confidence represents its true performance. Evaluation for this measure is quantitative and repeatable.

Satellite Image to Geospatial Data:

When presented with a satellite image, whether panchromatic or multispectral, produce plausible fully attributed geospatial data representing the contents of the image. This is the equivalent of automatically generating a map or GIS data from satellite imagery and will require extensive training using fully attributed GIS data and satellite imagery. NGA suggests Open Street Map as training data for this portion, and will develop a set of globally distributed satellite images from which performance will be judged. Performance should far exceed state of the art as defined by the latest papers. As an example: https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/12/4/159. Because any map or set of geospatial data is an artistic human-interpretable expression of landforms found on the Earth, quantitative evaluation of this measure is nearly impossible. Some quantitative evaluation can be done by counting continuity of long or widespread features. Intersection over union can be applied to polygon features; however, at some scales, polygon features may be visualized as points and the complexity of fully attributed GIS data is so high that its utility is better judged by its analytical evaluation.

GIS Data to Geolocations:

When presented with a set of spatially related points lines and polygons without a geographic reference, determine the most highly correlated match of georeferenced data. This is the equivalent of a subgraph match where the GIS data in the query information and the GIS data with which the model was trained will not match exactly. Some examples of research in this area are https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/11/5098 and https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1081445/full. The model will need to generalize the input GIS data to be able to select the area of the Earth where the GIS data is the closest match with geolocated reference data holdings. The effectiveness of the tool as measured by this metric will be how close the derived geolocations are to the ground truth, the area of uncertainty associated with each geolocation, and how well the confidence represents its true performance. NGA anticipates being able to generate a large test data set to evaluate performance. The ground truth geolocations of the GIS queries will not be released as part of the BAA. Evaluation for this measure is quantitative and repeatable.

Geospatial Data or Satellite Imagery to Ground Photos from that Location:

When presented with georeferenced geospatial data or satellite imagery, generate plausible ground photos from that location. This will require training with satellite images, ground images, and worldwide geospatial data coverage so plausible imagery can be deduced based on latitude, longitude, local landforms, climate and population density. Because ground imagery is so rich and varied in its contents, NGA is unaware of any quantitative measure of the plausibility of an image. This can only be judged by comparison with other systems like Dall-E3 and earlier versions of the GFM system itself. Therefore, evaluation for this measure is qualitative judgement by the NGA team or an evaluation team under a separate contract.

GIS Data to Satellite Images in Various Modalities:

When presented with georeferenced GIS data or a map, predict how satellite images may appear in various modalities, in various seasons. This will involve sufficient training with a wide variety of satellite sensors at different resolutions and seasons to convert from one modality to another. Essentially, the network envisioned will need to be of an appropriate scale to “learn” general characteristics of the Earth to such a degree that it will be able to predict how that area of the Earth would appear in the other modalities and seasons. NGA anticipates that putting together a large test data set from existing holdings will be fairly simple. Generated images can be spectrally compared against ground truth imagery from the appropriate season for evaluation. Because image generation from GIS data is also a form of digital artwork, the evaluation will be partly qualitative and performed by the NGA team or an evaluation team under a separate contract.

# Deliverable Items

The following table provides a minimal list of Deliverables; Appendix 1 provides the complete Contract Requirements Data List (CDRL) for each deliverable.

Table 3. Deliverables

# Intellectual Property Considerations

NGA anticipates that achieving the goals of the program will necessitate a minimum of Government Purpose Rights in all deliverables. This includes all algorithms, prototype software, documentation, and training videos produced by a performer for this effort.

Notwithstanding these assumptions, the Government acknowledges the possibility that other approaches proposed may also achieve program goals. In that case, refer to section 4.5.7.3 (2), Data Rights, of the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation for additional instructions.

# Government Furnished Information/Data/Property

NGA will provide performers with data required to support addressing this challenge. Additionally, the performers are invited to supply any of their own data that they have already collected from open sources, or created internally, that they may find useful. Open sources must be used at the risk of the recipient and deliverables cannot incorporate third-party-copyrighted materials without permission of the CO or the copyright owner.

The Government intends to make available:

• Maxar Vivid data as downloadable tiles via an internal contract: https://www.maxar.com/press-releases/maxar-s-high-resolution-vivid-basemaps-enhances-esri-arcgis-living-atlas-of-the-world

• TanDEM-X terrain data https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/missions/terrasar-x-and-tandem-x

• Landscan data https://landscan.ornl.gov/

Table 4. Government Furnished Information/Data/Property

# Security Considerations

Work under this effort will be up to the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) level. Therefore, the minimum required security consideration for performer personnel is HSPD-12 adjudication, or higher clearance, at the beginning of the Period of Performance.

Note: Any work on classified networks (for purposes of test and integration) will be conducted by NGA.

Unclassified Work Performance Security Requirements

Uncleared Contractor personnel are authorized to work on this contract at the Unclassified level, with access up to DoD CUI level at the Contractor site without the requirement of a security clearance.

Uncleared Personnel Security Requirements

Any Contractor personnel working with CUI information must receive a favorable HSPD-12 and/or HSPD-12 Tier 1 adjudication prior to accessing CUI information. Contractor personnel who require access to CUI for 60 days or less must receive a favorable HSPD-12 adjudication. Contractor personnel who require CUI access for more than 60 days must receive a favorable HSPD-12 Tier 1 adjudication. NGA will sponsor the HSPD-12 and HSPD-12 Tier 1 background investigation for Contractor personnel, as needed.

Foreign nationals are not permitted to perform unclassified work under the terms of this contract. Should NGA identify the use of unauthorized personnel, the CO may direct the Contractor, at its own expense, to remove and replace any unauthorized Contractors, Subcontractors, or other personnel performing on the contract. Such action may be taken at NGA's discretion, without prejudice, to its rights under any other contract provision, e.g., termination for default.

Uncleared Contractor personnel visiting NGA facilities or other sites may receive the appropriate visitor badge and be escorted, as appropriate. The Contractor will return the visitor badge at the end of each visit day.

Physical Security Requirements

Contractor personnel are forbidden from bringing prohibited or unauthorized items into any NGA installation or other secure facility covered under this contract. These items include weapons, cell phones, cameras, two-way pagers, laptops, recording devices of any kind, flash drives, or any other removable media. Exceptions may be granted by NGA Security upon the Contractor’s request. If granted, Contractor personnel must bring documentation showing approval prior to entering with the item(s). Violations may subject the Contractor and its offending personnel to civil and/or criminal liability IAW applicable laws and regulations governing access to secure Government facilities.

Information Security Requirements

NGA shall have the sole authority to determine whether, and to what extent, protected information shall be provided to the Contractor under the terms of the contract. The Contractor shall not access, download, print, or further disseminate any unclassified information outside the execution of the defined contract requirements without the guidance and written permission from the COR.

When the Contractor receives protected information under the terms of this contract, the Contractor will comply with all applicable NGA, DoD, and IC information security policies for the proper marking, handling, processing, storing, and safeguarding of unclassified and CUI material. The Contractor will ensure that document markings are given the lowest possible security classification to maximize dissemination while still maintaining the information’s confidentiality and integrity, as necessary.

Access to CUI will be pursuant to Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clause 252.204.7012. The prime contractor shall include this clause, including paragraph (m), in subcontracts, or similar contractual instruments, for operationally critical support or for which subcontract performance will involve covered defense information, including subcontracts for commercial items, without alteration, except to identify the parties. The Contractor shall determine if the information required for Subcontractor performance retains its identity as covered defense information and will require protection under this clause. Contractor personnel shall not release any unclassified information, regardless of medium (e.g., film, tape, document), pertaining to any part of this contract or any program related to this contract, unless the COR has given prior written approval or in performance of a project that has been scoped and negotiated by NGA.

NGA will assess and authorize Contractors to process unclassified information on government-owned information systems, conduct oversight of such information system processing, and provide information system security guidelines IAW with FAR clause 52.204-21 and other information system security control policies, standards, and procedures. Contractor will be responsible for executing specific provisions under the contract for the accreditation of classified information systems and, upon request, shall provide the COR a written statement confirming accreditation compliance with the minimum information systems requirements established in the DD254. The Contractor shall include the substance of FAR clause 52.204-21 in subcontracts under this contract (including subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services, other than commercially available off-the-shelf items), in which the Subcontractor may have federal contract information residing in or transiting through its information system.

In accordance with FAR Part 4.7 and FAR clause 52.215-2, the Contractor may retain one archival copy of any Government-furnished information provided to the Contractor during the course of performance of the contract, subject to the Contractor following relevant data safeguarding practices and CUI restrictions. The disposition of such Government-furnished information is otherwise solely at the discretion of the Government. As directed by the NGA CO or COR, the Contractor will destroy or return to NGA all Government-furnished information upon contract termination or when no longer required for contract performance.

Cybersecurity Requirements

The Contractor must, at a minimum, implement 10 U.S.C. Sections 391 and 393 along with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171, “Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations” requirements.

If the Contractor intends to use an external cloud service provider to store, process, or transmit any covered defense information in performance of this contract, the Contractor shall require and ensure that the cloud service provider meets security requirements equivalent to those established by the Government for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Moderate baseline (https://www.fedramp.gov/resources/documents/)

In the event that the Contractor discovers a cyber incident that affects a covered Contractor information system or covered defense information residing therein, or that affects the Contractor’s ability to perform the requirements of the contract that are designated as operationally critical support and identified in the contract, the Contractor shall:

1. Notify the DoD Cyber Crime Center (DC3) and the COR, in writing, within 72 hours of incident discovery.

2. Conduct a review for evidence of compromise of covered defense information, including, but not limited to, identifying compromised computers, servers, specific data, and user accounts. This review shall also include analyzing covered Contractor information system(s) that were part of the cyber incident, as well as other information systems on the Contractor’s network(s), that may have been accessed as a result of the incident in order to identify compromised covered defense information, or that affect the Contractor’s ability to provide operationally critical support.

In the event the Contractor discovers and isolates malicious software in connection with a reported cyber incident, the Contractor shall submit the malicious software to DC3 in accordance with instructions provided by the COR. The Contractor should NOT send the malicious software to the COR.

# Proposal-Specific Protection Plan

This Topic Call requires a Proposal-Specific Protection Plan (PSPP), which shall be delivered with the proposal. PSPP submission information can be found in the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation Section 4.5.8.1 and Attachment 7 of Appendix 2, BIG-ST BAA Proposal Submission Template. The PSPP shall specifically describe the protections afforded to the untrained multidimensional neural network architecture and the fully-trained foundational model.

# Performance

. Place of Performance:

Performance shall take place in a performer facility anywhere in the United States.

Period of Performance (PoP):

• Base Period (12 months)

• Option Period 1 (12 months)

• Option Period 2 (12 months)

• Option Period 3 (12 months)

# Clauses

All provisions and clauses from ‘Provisions_Clauses_BIGST BAA_HM047623BAA0001’ attached to the BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation are applicable to this Topic Call. The following provision is also applicable to this Topic Call:

5X52.209.9004 Use of Contractor Support

(a) The Government will use Culmen International, for administrative and/or technical support during source selection and during the term of any resulting contract. The exclusive responsibility for source selection will reside with the Government.

(b) Proprietary information submitted in response to this solicitation will be protected from unauthorized disclosure as required by Subsection 27 of the Office of Procurement Policy Act as amended (the Procurement Integrity Act) (41 U.S.C. 423) (hereinafter referred to as "the Act") as implemented in the FAR. Culmen International are bound contractually by the Protection of Information and Nondisclosure Agreements clause with respect to proprietary information. By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation, the Contractor consents to the Government disclosing Contractor proprietary information to the aforementioned contractors for the purposes indicated.

(End of Provision)

# Appendix 1 - Contract Requirements Data List (CDRL)

# Appendix 2 - Questions & Answers (Q&A)

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BIGST_BAA_Topic 02_MUSE_Rev1_20240416

BIG-ST BAA (HM0476-23-BAA-0001)

Topic # 02 – Magnifying University Science Expertise (MUSE)

For instructions on submission of abstracts and proposals and evaluation of proposals, please review BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation (HM047623BAA0001) and specifically ‘Appendix 5 - Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions’ which is embedded on page 39 of the general solicitation file.

Document Change History

Title

Magnifying University Science Expertise (MUSE)

Expected Awards

Intent of this Topic Call is the award of academic grants only.

The Government plans to make 1 – 3 awards per subject area (described below), but may make fewer (including possibly none) or more based both on the quality of the submissions and the availability of funding.

Budget

The estimated budget range is as follows: up to $500k per grant per year (with a max. of $2.5M per grant over a 5-year period).

Note: While a travel budget is allowed for both subject areas of this topic call, for subject area 2, Geodesy (sections 2.2. and 3.2.2), the travel budget cannot exceed 5% of the overall proposed budget.

Topic Technology Readiness Level (TRL):

This BAA Topic is limited to projects that meet Technology Readiness Level (TRL) definitions in the TRL range 1–6.

Dates

Table 1 Dates

Point of Contact (POC)

Please send all questions and submissions to the Contracting Officer (CO): Daniela Garavito

Email Address: BIGSTBAA@nga.mil

➔ Use the following email subject for all email correspondence: ‘TOPIC 02 –MUSE’

# Topic Research Opportunity Description

This Topic Call seeks to increase the breadth and depth of knowledge to key science and technology areas of need to the geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) community and advance the state of practice in two subject areas:

• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

• Geodesy

# Background and Purpose

As stated above, this topic call is broken out into two different subject areas, which are detailed in this section and Section 3.2.

Each subject area requires the separate submission of an abstract and proposal. Any proposal which attempts to address more than one subject area in a single submission will not be considered.

An institution and a principal investigator are permitted to make a submission for more than one subject area.

Note: Abstracts and proposals shall clearly identify which of the two subject areas they are addressing.

The following sections provide specific information for each of the two subject areas.

Subject Area 1: Synthetic Aperture Radar

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a critical imaging domain for intelligence use due to its day & night, all-weather imaging capability. There are many parts of the world that are frequently cloud-covered, and in these places, SAR may be the only way to see what is occurring on the ground. This makes SAR a necessary tool when an analyst must see what is happening now and can’t wait for ideal conditions, as is the case for many intelligence missions. Simply put, GEOINT would not be nearly as reliable and consistent without SAR.

SAR works by transmitting a series of radar pulses from a moving platform at an assumed stationary region of the ground. Each radar pulse illuminates an area of ground several kilometers wide, and gives a one-dimensional measurement of range. To obtain an image, one can think of either tomographic projection [1], or as measuring the amount of doppler shift between each (assumed stationary) object caused by the motion of the platform [2, 3]. In addition to the references cited above, an excellent overview of SAR and its applications can be found in Ager [4].

Beyond the all-weather capability, SAR also provides rich data that can be processed in a number of ways to extract features of interest, even features which are significantly sub-pixel, and can under some circumstances be a more repeatable imaging modality for automated algorithms to process. These have direct applicability to providing automated monitoring and tip/cue to both analysts and other collectors at speed and scale which is a mission/mandate that NGA must perform every day.

Despite these advantages, SAR’s preference among many GEOINT professionals lags well behind its optical counterpart. While there will always be imaging modality differences and SAR will never look as normal as optical imagery to the human eye, we believe that familiarity with SAR is a key reason for this situation. This subject therefore seeks to increase knowledge, exposure, understanding, awareness, and familiarity of SAR in the next generation of GEOINT professionals, thereby increasing use and adoption of this imaging modality on which NGA and its GEOINT partners rely on extensively, thus reducing in-house training NGA and its partners must provide to new hires.

Subject Area 2: Geodesy

The Geodesy mission of the NGA’s Mapping, Charting and Geodesy (MC&G) domain is to better understand the earth to improve navigation, mapping, charting, tides, and geodetic products as called out in U.S. Code Title 10, Subtitle A, Part 1, Chapter 22. To address this mission, NGA created the World Geodetic System (WGS). NGA’s WGS is a system of geodetic systems; at its heart is the terrestrial reference frame (TRF). The Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM2008), and World Magnetic Model (WMM) are two geodetic models within WGS. Future WGS iterations could contain new models of plate motion and tides (both solid earth and ocean).

Geodesy is the science that studies the size, shape, and orientation of the earth in space, its gravity field, and how its shape and orientation, in relation to the stars and the earth’s gravity field, are changing over time. The earth’s orientation and motion through space is defined relative to the stars that are in the celestial sphere. A location in this celestial sphere is defined in terms of its coordinates in the Celestial Reference Frame (CRF), similar to the earth’s latitude and longitude system used to plot positions within the Terrestrial Reference Frame (TRF) for points residing on a reference ellipsoid.

While geodetic science is a very old, dating back to the ancient Greeks trying to understand the size and shape of the earth, it is a very important and highly relevant science today, when over 4 billion users rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) each day to determine their position on earth. It is because of the desire to accurately determine one’s position, and understand our planet and its temporal evolution, that geodesy is one of the few science disciplines that cares about accuracies of parts per billion.

Although the relative importance of geodetic sciences to modern society has been on the increase over the past couple of decades, the research conducted, and the number of students being trained in geodetic sciences has greatly declined in U.S. colleges and universities, jeopardizing future advancements and the future geodetic sciences workforce in the United States. U.S. government agencies involved in geodetic research and development are finding it harder to recruit personnel that is highly educated and skilled in geodetic work.

# Project Structure/Scope

Proposers have considerable latitude to construct their project to match their individual objectives, provided they achieve the goals set out for each subject area, as discussed in section 3.2. The proposal shall provide a clear breakdown of what the proposer intends to pursue in each award year, along with a schedule and detailed milestones for these activities.

3.1 Overarching Proposal Requirements

The proposal shall assume at least a quarterly engagement with the government to review status and progress. Additionally, while no promise of a career fair or hiring event is made to those selected for award, the proposers shall facilitate such an event at their location should NGA decide to do so.

3.2 Technical Requirements for each Subject Area

3.2.1 Subject Area 1: Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

The goal of this subject area is to increase exposure and understanding of synthetic aperture radar, and the intent is to allow considerable latitude to proposers to focus on topics of interest to them and advance the state of practice in SAR research while also increasing student involvement.

With the goal of creating a broad foundation that will allow students to move into a variety of SAR related work roles, this subject area requires student exposure to a broad set of SAR areas, including sensor design, image formation, data analysis and ground truth experience; as a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to these four areas (see details following this paragraph). Beyond the mentioned areas, proposals are free to explore additional areas, like upstream sensor design and data collection, variations in collection methodology (e.g., multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) or continuous waveforms), downstream exploitation, exploitation of moving objects in a SAR scene, and related SAR topics or combinations of topics that could be relevant to identifying and tracking objects in SAR imagery. Equally, proposals that focus on more classical SAR approaches, but which provide excellent student involvement and interest are equally welcome.

Proposals shall endeavor to create interest in the students they reach, not only for the scientific area, but also for careers and applications in this science. This applies to both direct student involvement and curriculum development.

Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and graduate students involved in every activity, and the scientific and technical strength of the proposal will be judged in part on this level of student involvement. Students do not need to be involved in every activity, however, proposers are expected to include substantive student involvement; specifically, involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in SAR and its application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address broadening the exposure of individuals to SAR.

Curriculum Development: Academic course development is a welcome but not required part of this subject area. If included, shall provide specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use, and the students the course is expected to reach.

3.2.1.1 Sensor Design

To have a full understanding of SAR, one must not only procure the data, but understand how the sensors works. This is best gained through experience. The proposal shall address how it provides this level of understanding. This could occur through the actual construction of a sensor or it could be obtained through digital designs and/or simulations without actual hardware construction.

SAR sensors can operate at a variety of bands/center frequencies and a wide range of resolutions. For this subject area, proposals shall focus on designs that would allow for the detection of objects or activity at a scale of individuals to small buildings, rather than large-scale effects such as volcanic activity or aquifer subsidence. The proposal shall also focus exclusively on frequencies which provides atmospheric transmission through clouds for day/night all-weather access. A specific center frequency or bandwidth is not required by this subject, though we note that most commercial SAR sensors operate at X band, with Radarsat-2 operating in C band. That makes sensors in these band of particular relevance. We also note that while large areas are available and appropriate for some applications (e.g., maritime surveillance), higher resolution collections on the order of 0.25m to 1m are commercially available from space and very relevant for many object detection problems.

3.2.1.2 Image Formation

Collecting raw SAR data may provide experience in radio-frequency (RF) engineering, but if imagery is not formed from this collected data then SAR experience has not been obtained. The proposal shall provide for a deep understanding of the various ways the raw RF data can be processed to form imagery while highlighting features of interest and suppressing unwanted features. Image formation work shall start with as close to the raw data as possible, and go through (as necessary) motion compensation, formation of a complex image, focusing, projection to a ground plan, and final pixel polishing. Formation of derived products, especially those products which might require multi-image registration and interferometric processing, is not required but is a strength provided it fits the overall proposal goals.

NGA maintains several standards for SAR data formats, ranging from compensated phase history data (CPHD) for phase history to Sensor Independent Complex Data (SICD) [5] and Sensor Independent Derived Data (SIDD) [6]. Use of these standards is not required but is encouraged wherever they are applicable.

It should be noted that running a free or commercial code does not typically provide the same understanding as building the routines themselves, and thus re-creating capabilities that exist in open-source or commercial packages will not be seen as a negative for the purpose of this subject, provided such re-creation meets the grants goals of further developing individuals with expertise in this area.

3.2.1.3 Object Recognition

Increasingly, customers not just in defense but across the remote sensing community are relying on automated ways to detect objects of interest in SAR imagery. Thus, proposers shall provide students with experience in this area, and the proposal shall include efforts to obtain data with objects of interest and then develop algorithms to detect these objects. Physics based detectors as well as machine-learning approaches are acceptable, as is the use of any derived product formed from the SAR imagery.

The objects being detected are up to the proposer. An initial set shall be specified in the proposal, though this can be refined as the work progresses. Vehicles (military, construction, buses, etc.), tracks left by vehicles, or other such objects can all make relevant objects.

While ground-based, airborne and space-borne collection is permissible, for many applications of interest to NGA collection must be space-based. Thus, applications which are compatible with collection by an object in a Keplerian orbit (e.g., sensor moving in roughly a straight line and looking down from above) are preferred over those which require other collection CONOPS.

3.2.1.4 Data Collection and Ground Truth

Real life often does not match our theoretical predictions, so all proposals shall work with real SAR data, either procured (free or commercially) or collected by proposers. This shall start at as close to the raw data coming from the hardware as possible and continue on through image formation to the detection of objects or activity of interest in the data. The proposal shall clearly articulate the data it plans to work with. As it fits the overall program scope, the proposal shall also include ground truth experiments with truth data to test object recognition work.

3.2.2 Subject Area 2: Geodesy

The goal of this subject area is to increase exposure and understanding of geodetic science, through research efforts with direct student involvement and course work. The intent is to allow considerable latitude to proposers to focus on geodetic topics of interest to them, and advance the state of practice in geodesy research, while also increasing student involvement and exposure to geodetic principles.

With the goal of creating a broad foundation that will allow students to move into geodesy related work or research roles, this subject area requires student exposure to these four fundamental geodetic science principles: a) “Geometric Geodesy” including terrestrial reference frame (TRF) and earth orientation parameters (EOP); b) “Physical Geodesy and Geophysics” including potential field observations and modeling (gravitational and magnetic fields); c) solid earth and ocean tides; and d) modern geodetic techniques and sensors. As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to these four focus areas (see details following this paragraph). Beyond these areas, proposals are free to explore additional areas, such as modern geodetic surveying techniques.

Proposals shall endeavor to create interest in the students they reach, not only for the scientific advancement, but also for careers and applications in this science. This applies to both direct student involvement and curriculum development.

Colleges and universities with strong applied mathematics, geophysics and/or aerospace engineering (orbital mechanics) programs, but little to no prior research in geodesy, are encouraged to apply, as well as institutions with prior geodetic science experience.

Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and graduate students involved in every activity. Students do not need to be involved in every activity, however, proposers are expected to include substantial student involvement; specifically, involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in geodesy and its application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address broadening the exposure of individuals to geodesy.

Curriculum Development: Academic course development in one or more of the four areas listed below is strongly recommended but not required. If included, it shall provide specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use, course type (i.e., major, minor, or general elective), and the students the course is expected to reach (i.e., undergraduate and/or graduate).

3.2.2.1 Terrestrial Reference Frame and Earth Orientation Parameters

The purpose of this focus area is to gain understanding of the error sources and uncertainties within different measurement types for Terrestrial Reference Frames (TRF) and Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP). Proposers shall identify how to address these errors/uncertainties when combining different data types into TRF and EOP, with the resulting frame uncertainties understood and quantified. Understanding these uncertainties is especially important in the prediction of station motions and EOP variations before derivation/calculations of the next TRF and/or EOP.

Under this area, proposals shall focus on approaches to calculate/derive the TRF and EOP and their predictions, e.g., station positions and velocities. The proposal shall also examine error sources and uncertainties within different data types, earthquake modeling errors, and the resulting uncertainties introduced into the TRF and EOP. Investigations and evaluations of EOP prediction methods will not be seen as a negative for this subject area.

3.2.2.2 Gravitational and Magnetic Field Observations and Modeling

The purpose of this focus area is to design a way to determine the type, format, quality, and needed quantity (to reduce redundancy) of gravitational and magnetic data and models, and determine what data and models should be used to improve our understanding of earth’s gravitational and magnetic fields.

Modeling of the earth’s gravitational and magnetic fields requires use of a large amount of observations from different sources, with differing accuracies, and collected at different distances from the earth’s surface. This leads to several challenges in the modeling of these potential fields, to include the problem of downward continuation. Furthermore, significant areas of our planet are void of the data required to develop high accuracy and resolution gravitational and crustal magnetic models. This necessitates use of forward gravity modeling techniques, employing other data sources (e.g., elevations). In addition, satellite missions like Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), which form the long wavelength basis of gravitational models, suffer from aliasing and noise, and require careful treatment of solutions and associated error properties.

For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the several challenges in modeling gravitational and magnetic fields, including the accuracies of different data types, and how each proposed solution contributes to mitigating the uncertainties of the resulting model.

3.2.2.3 Solid Earth and Ocean Tides

The purpose of this focus area is to improve the descriptions and timing of solid earth and global ocean tides. Solid earth and global ocean tides are the result of gravitational interactions between the earth and sun, moon, and to a lesser extent other planets. With today’s big data and more sensitive instruments, the accuracies of current tidal models are no longer sufficient. Precision geodetic techniques must achieve millimeter-level precision to support NGA’s most critical geodesy missions, such as estimation of positions and trajectories of the core ground stations that define the WGS reference frame, support of the Global Positioning System (GPS), and calibration of navigational systems.

Current challenges in ocean tide modeling include improvement of tide representations in coastal and polar oceans. Comprehensive tide solutions with high spatial resolution in these regions remains elusive.

Current challenges in solid earth tide modeling include improved resolution and millimeter-level accuracy, especially in coastal regions experiencing ocean tidal loading, and regions with large ground water variations.

For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the above challenges in solid earth and/or global ocean tidal modeling. The effort shall also examine the accuracies of the different data types used in the modeling, other error sources, and mitigating the uncertainties for the resulting tidal model. Research efforts to improve the modeling and computation of solid earth and ocean tides loading are also encouraged.

3.2.2.4 Modern Geodetic Techniques and Sensors

The purpose of this focus area is to gain a better understanding of the error sources and uncertainties within modern geodetic instrumentation and systems, and how to address them at the observation level or post-processing level.

For this area, proposals shall focus on gaining an improved understanding of error sources and uncertainties within modern geodetic observation techniques and sensors, and examine how measurements from one technique could be used to improve corrections for another geodetic technique. Proposals can also examine approaches for improved corrections for different geodetic observation techniques, using geophysical and non-geophysical modeling. Investigations solely focused on Doppler Orbitography and Radio positioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) transmitters are not encouraged.

3.3 Outside the Scope of this Topic

Any subject not explicitly described within Section 3.2 is considered outside the scope of this topic call, even if it is GEOINT related.

# Performance Metrics

Proposers shall submit the following table with their proposed metrics as part of their proposal. These metrics are the minimum metrics; proposers can then add their own metrics.

• Table 2 Technical Requirements –Metrics

# Deliverable Items

• Table 3 Deliverables Table

# Government Furnished Information/Data/Property

No government furnished data or hardware will be provided in this topic call.

# Security Considerations

Work under this effort will be at the unclassified level.

7.1. Unclassified Work Performance Security Requirements

Uncleared Recipient personnel are authorized to work on this contract at the unclassified level without the requirement of a security clearance.

7.2. Uncleared Personnel Security Requirements

Should NGA identify the use of unauthorized personnel, the CO may direct the Recipient, at its own expense, to remove and replace any unauthorized personnel performing on the grant. Such action may be taken at the NGA's discretion without prejudice to its rights under any other grant terms and conditions.

Uncleared Recipient personnel visiting NGA facilities or other sites may receive the appropriate visitor badge and be escorted, as appropriate. The Recipient will return the visitor badge at the end of each visit day.

7.3. Information Security Requirements

NGA shall have the sole authority to determine whether, and to what extent, protected information shall be provided to the Recipient under the terms of the grant. The Recipient shall not access, download, print, or further disseminate any unclassified information outside the execution of the defined grant requirements without the guidance and written permission from the COR.

When the Recipient receives protected information under the terms of this grant, the Recipient will comply with all applicable NGA, DoD, and IC information security policies for the proper marking, handling, processing, storing, and safeguarding of unclassified and CUI material. The Recipient will ensure that document markings are given the lowest possible security classification to maximize dissemination while still maintaining the information’s confidentiality and integrity as necessary.

# Performance

8.1. Place of Performance:

The proposer shall perform all work in the proposer’s facilities anywhere in the United States. The proposer shall list place or places of performance in the proposal. The proposer shall not perform any work outside of the United States.

8.2. Period of Performance (PoP):

The proposed grant shall be broken out into 1-year increments and shall not exceed 5 years. After funding of the initial 12-month period, additional funding increments will be provided at the sole discretion of the Government. Proposers shall submit proposals that cover the entire proposed performance period; additional funding increments which were not included in the original proposal cannot be added later.

# References

[1] Jakowatz et. al., “Spotlight mode synthetic aperture radar: a signal processing approach”, Springer, 1996.

[2] Carrara, Majewski and Goodman, “Spotlight Synthetic Aperture Radar: Signal Processing Algorithms”, Artech House, 1995.

[3] Massonnet and Souyris, “Imaging with Synthetic Aperture Radar”, EPFL Press, 2008.

[4] Ager, “The Essentials of SAR: A Conceptual View of Synthetic Aperture Radar and Its Remarkable Capabilities”, independently published, 2021.

[5] https://nsgreg.nga.mil/doc/view?i=4900

[6] https://nsgreg.nga.mil/doc/view?i=4906

# Appendix 1 Questions & Answers (Q&A)

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Topic 06: MUSE2_Ver1
BIGST BAA (HM047623BAA0001)
Topic # 06 – Magnifying University Science Expertise (MUSE) 2
Document Change History
Date Description
Table 1: Document Change History
Expected Awards
The Government intends to issue one or more awards per subject area described below in
Sections 3.1 and 3.2. The Government reserves the right to cancel and/or issue no awards. All
awards are subject to the availability of funds.
Award Type: GRANT, Cost Only (No Fee)
Budget
The total budget for the MUSE 2 is $25.0M across all awards. The maximum amounts for each
Funding Period for the multiple awards are as follows:
Funding Period 1 (24 months): $1.0M
Funding Period 2 (12 months): $0.5M
Funding Period 3 (12 months): $0.5M
Funding Period 4 (12 months): $0.5M
Note: Proposed Travel costs cannot exceed 4% of the Applicant’s overall proposed price.
Topic Technology Readiness Level (TRL):
This BAA Topic is limited to projects that meet Technology Readiness Level (TRL) definitions
in the TRL range 1–6. Definitions can be found in the BIGST BAA General Solicitation
(HM047623BAA0001).
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Topic 06: MUSE_ 2
Dates
Topic Posting 25 February 2026
Questions Due 09 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Q&A Posting 16 March 2026
Abstracts Due 26 March 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Abstract Feedback 2 April 2026
Proposals Due 4 May 2026 @ 10:00am ET
Estimated Period of
12 August 2026
Performance Start:
Table 2: Dates
Submission Instructions
For instructions on submission of abstracts and proposals and evaluation of proposals, please
review BIGST BAA General Solicitation (HM047623BAA0001), all associated Revision
documents, and specifically Appendix 1 – Abstract Template, Appendix 2 – Proposal Template,
and Appendix 5 - Grants and Cooperative Agreements Proposal Preparation & Submission
Instructions.
Please send a courtesy email to the Grants Officer, Viphalac Chanthaphone at
Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist, Nathalie Nlate at
Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil, to ensure NGA is aware of the application submitted in Grants.gov.
Upon successful download of the application package from Grants.gov, NGA will provide the
Applicant confirmation status.
All questions shall be submitted directly to the Grants Officer, Viphalac Chanthaphone at
Viphalac.chanthaphone@nga.mil and to the Grants Specialist, Nathalie Nlate at
Nathalie.nlate@nga.mil using the Q&A template located in Appendix 1 of this Topic Call.
1. Topic Research Opportunity Description
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) GEOINT Innovation and Research
(GEOINT I&R) Directorate (formerly Research & Development (R&D) Directorate) seeks to
increase the breadth and depth of knowledge to key science and technology areas of need to the
geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) community and advance the state of practice in:
• Geodesy
• Geomatics
Approaches developed under this topic shall:
• Provide coursework in geodesy and geomatics.
• Increase the numbers of students who are highly educated in geodesy and geomatics.
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• Provide opportunities for students under the proposed curriculums to develop skills in
geodetic and/or geomatics work.
• Support students doing substantive research and coursework relating to the subjects of
interest identified in this Topic Call.
• Prepare students for careers in geodesy/geomatics.
2. Background
The geodesy mission of the NGA’s Mapping, Charting and Geodesy (MC&G) domain is to
better understand the earth to improve navigation, mapping, charting, tides, and geodetic
products as called out in U.S. Code Title 10, Subtitle A, Part 1, Chapter 22. To address this
mission, NGA created the World Geodetic System (WGS). NGA’s WGS is a system of geodetic
systems; at its heart is the terrestrial reference frame (TRF). The Earth Gravitational Model 2008
(EGM2008), and World Magnetic Model (WMM) are two geodetic models within WGS. Future
WGS iterations could contain new models of plate motion and tides (both solid earth and ocean).
Geodesy is the science that studies the size, shape, and orientation of the earth in space, its
gravity field, and how its shape and orientation, in relation to the stars, and the earth’s gravity
field are changing over time. The earth’s orientation and motion through space is defined relative
to the stars that are in the celestial sphere. Location in this celestial sphere is defined in terms of
its coordinates in the Celestial Reference Frame (CRF), similar to the earth’s latitude and
longitude system used to plot positions within the Terrestrial Reference Frame (TRF) for points
residing on a reference ellipsoid.
While geodetic science is very old, dating back to the ancient Greeks trying to understand the
size and shape of the Earth, it is a very important and highly relevant science today, especially
considering that over 4 billion users rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) each day to
determine their position on Earth. It is because of the desire to accurately determine one’s
position, and understand our planet and its temporal evolution, that geodesy is one of the few
science disciplines that cares about accuracies at parts per billion.
Geomatics is a complimentary branch of the science to geodesy that is associated with the
collection, analysis, and interpretation of spatial data related to the Earth’s surface. It
encompasses a number of technologies and techniques, including the fields of surveying,
mapping, remote sensing, photogrammetry, hydrology, GPS, and Geographical Information
Systems (GIS) to gain understanding and solve problems related to the Earth’s surface.
Although the relative importance of geodetic sciences and geomatics to modern society has been
on the increase over the past couple of decades, the research conducted, and the number of
students being trained in these sciences has greatly declined in U.S. colleges and universities.
This shift jeopardizes future advancements and the future geodetic sciences workforce in the
United States. U.S. Government agencies involved in geodetic research and development are
finding it harder to recruit highly educated personnel skilled in geodetic and/or geomatics work.
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3. Project Structure/Scope
Grantees have considerable latitude to focus on geodetic and/or geomatic topics of interest,
provided they:
• Achieve the goals set out for each subject area (sections 3.1 and 3.2 below).
• Advance the state of practice in geodesy and/or geomatic research.
• Increase student involvement and exposure to geodetic and/or geomatic principles.
Each subject area, geodesy and geomatics, requires the separate submission of an abstract and
proposal:
• Any proposal which attempts to address more than one subject area in a single
submission will not be considered.
• An institution and a principal investigator are permitted to make a submission for more
than one subject area.
• Abstracts and proposals shall clearly identify which one of the two subject areas they are
addressing.
Proposals shall endeavor to create interest in the students they reach, not only for the scientific
advancement, but also for careers and applications in this science. This applies to both direct
student involvement and curriculum development.
Grantees shall construct their project in accordance with the Funding Periods of Performance
outlined above.
Proposals shall provide a clear breakdown of what the Grantee intends to accomplish within each
Funding Period, along with a schedule and detailed milestones for these activities.
3.1 Geodesy Subject Area
The goals of this subject area are to increase exposure and understanding of geodetic science
through research efforts with direct student involvement and course work; and to create a broad
foundation that will allow students to move into geodesy related work or research roles.
Geodetic science is built upon fundamental principles: “Geometric Geodesy” including terrestrial
reference frame (TRF) and Earth orientation parameters (EOP), and “Physical Geodesy and
Geophysics” including potential field observations and modeling (gravitational and magnetic
fields). Fulfillment of the goals for this subject area requires student exposure to these
fundamental principles in their coursework and research into:
• Gravity Field and Geoid Modeling.
• Crustal and Core Magnetic Field Observations and Modeling.
• Marine geodetic data collection techniques and sensors.
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As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to the fundamental
geodetic science principals and one of these three focus areas of research as described in
paragraphs 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3.
Colleges and universities with strong applied mathematics, geophysics and/or aerospace
engineering (orbital mechanics) programs, but little to no prior research in geodesy, are
encouraged to apply, as well as institutions with prior geodetic science experience.
Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and
graduate students involved in every activity. Students do not need to be involved in every
activity; however, Grantees are expected to include substantial student involvement; specifically,
involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in geodesy and its
application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address
broadening the exposure of individuals to geodesy.
Curriculum Development: Academic course development in one or more of the three focus areas
listed below is strongly recommended but not required. If included, the proposal shall provide
specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use,
course type (i.e., major, minor, or general elective), and the students the course is expected to
reach (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, etc.). The proposal should also indicate whether the course
being developed will support in class, remote learning, or both.
3.1.1 Gravity Field and Geoid Modeling
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support an understanding of
the type, quality, and quantity of gravitational data needed, and how to determine what
data and models should be used to improve our understanding of Earth’s gravitational
fields.
Additional, modeling of the earth’s gravitational fields requires use of a large number of
observations from different sources, with differing accuracies, and collected at different
distances from the Earth’s surface. These data sources, include terrestrial, marine,
airborne, and space-based observations including both space gravity missions and
satellite altimetry missions. In addition, satellite gravity missions like Gravity Recovery
and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation
Explorer (GOCE), which form the long wavelength basis of gravitational models, suffer
from aliasing and noise, and require careful treatment of solutions and associated error
properties. This leads to several challenges in the modeling of these potential fields, to
include the problem of downward continuation. In addition, significant areas of our
planet are void of the data required to develop high accuracy and high-resolution
gravitational models. This necessitates use of forward gravity modeling techniques,
employing other data sources (e.g., elevations).
For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the several challenges in modeling
gravitational fields and geoid modeling, including the accuracies of different data types,
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and how each proposed solution contributes to mitigating the uncertainties of the
resulting model.
3.1.2 Crustal and Core Magnetic Field Observations and Modeling
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support an understanding of
investigate approaches used to collect, process, and use magnetic data in the modeling of
the Earth’s crustal field or core field. Further, it will explain what data and models should
be used to improve our ability to map crustal magnetic field anomalies and their
associated uncertainties and the preferred data and models used to improve our
understanding of Earth’s core magnetic field.
Modeling of the Earth’s crustal and core magnetic fields requires large amounts of
observations from different sources, with differing accuracies, and collected at different
distances from the Earth’s surface over decades. This leads to several challenges in the
modeling of these potential fields, to include the problem of downward continuation.
Furthermore, significant areas of our planet are void of the data required to develop high
accuracy and resolution crustal magnetic models. This necessitates use of forward
modeling techniques, employing other data sources (e.g., elevations). In addition, satellite
missions like SWARM and Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP), which form the
long wavelength basis of magnetic field models, suffer from aliasing and noise, and
require careful treatment of solutions and associated error properties.
For this area, proposals shall focus on addressing the several challenges in modeling
gravitational and magnetic fields, including the accuracies of different data types, and
how each proposed solution contributes to mitigating the uncertainties of the resulting
model.
3.1.3 Marine Geodetic Data Collection Techniques and Sensors
Over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, inclusion of this focus area in
curriculum development will provide insights into investigate approaches and sensors for
the collection and processing of geodetic data in these maritime environments. Further, it
will provide an understanding of the error sources and uncertainties within these
instruments and systems, and how to address them at the observation level or post-
processing level.
For this area, proposals shall focus on maritime geodetic data collection and processing
and gaining an improved understanding of error sources and uncertainties within
maritime geodetic observation techniques and sensors, and examine how measurements
from one technique could be used to improve corrections for another geodetic technique.
Proposals can also examine approaches for improved corrections for different geodetic
observation techniques, using geophysical and non-geophysical modeling.
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3.2 Geomatics Subject Area
The goals of this subject area are to increase exposure and understanding of geomatics, through
research efforts with direct student involvement and course work and creating a broad foundation
that will allow students to move into geomatics related work or research roles.
Fulfillment of the goals for this subject area requires student exposure to three topics in
geomatics research:
• 3D geospatial and photogrammetry.
• Multimodal multiscale 3D scene reconstruction.
• Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) Applications.
As a minimum, proposals shall address how they will expose students to these geomatics
research topics as described in paragraphs 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3.
Colleges and universities with strong applied mathematics, geosciences and/or civil engineering
programs, but little to no prior research in geomatics, are encouraged to apply, as well as
institutions with prior geomatics science and photogrammetry experience.
Direct Student Involvement: All proposals shall articulate the number of undergraduate and
graduate students involved in every activity. Students do not need to be involved in every
activity; however, Grantees are expected to include substantial student involvement; specifically,
involvement of undergraduate students and mentorship of students in geodesy and its
application. Proposals under this subject area shall demonstrate how they will address
broadening the exposure of individuals to geomatics.
Curriculum Development: Academic course development in one or more of the three focus areas
listed below is strongly recommended but not required. If included, the proposal shall provide
specific details on the content of the course, the length of time the course is likely to be in use,
course type (i.e., major, minor, or general elective), and the students the course is expected to
reach (i.e., undergraduate and/or graduate). The proposal should also indicate whether the course
being developed will support in class, remote learning, or both.
3.2.1 3D geospatial and photogrammetry
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will support the explanation of
multi-view satellite photogrammetry in 3D geospatial research to:
• Enhance Digital Surface Model (DSM) generation.
• Achieve feature-based detection and extraction (such as windows on a building/
light pole on the roads, etc.) in 3D.
• Conduct feature-based change detection and modeling in 3D to inform battle
damage assessment.
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In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in 3D photogrammetry research while also increasing
student involvement.
3.2.2 Multimodal multiscale 3D scene reconstruction
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development is to promote an increased
understanding of 3D scene reconstruction to:
• Perform joint 3D scene reconstruction from different modalities (such as satellite,
drone, ground-based images, etc.).
• Understand uncertainties in multimodal/ multiscale datasets through
photogrammetric methods.
• Establish sensor agnostic framework to achieve generalizable and efficient 3D
scene reconstruction.
In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in 3D scene reconstruction research while also increasing
student involvement
3.2.3 Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) Applications
Inclusion of this focus area in curriculum development will increase exposure and
understanding of using InSAR time series to:
• Establish seasonal and annual baselines of terrain.
• Understand uncertainties in the data.
• Employ these observations and trends to validate models that infer subsurface
processes (such as bio/geochemical, hydrological, etc.) to inform mobility and
infrastructure risk assessments.
In addition, the intent is to allow Grantees to focus on topics of interest to them and
advance the state of practice in InSAR research while also increasing student
involvement.
3.3 Outside the Scope of this Topic
Any subject not explicitly described within Section 3.1 and 3.2 is considered outside the scope.
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4. Reporting Requirements and Oversight Activities
# ITEM DESCRIPTION DUE DATE SUBMIT TO
1 Kick-off Briefing in support of a project kick off meeting 45 days after start of Information will be
Meeting – that details the plan for the work, as well as any initial performance provided at award
Technical additional details since the proposal was submitted.
Assistance. Meeting will be in person at Grantee or NGA
location, or virtual at the discretion of the
Government. This is an opportunity for two-way
communication between the grantor and the award
recipient to ensure both parties understanding of
the work to be performed.
2 Quarterly RPPR status report. No later than 5 business Information will be
Research days after the end of each provided at award
Subject Area 1 & 2
Performance quarter of work
shall address the following as part of the report:
Progress
Report The quarterly report for
• Description of activities conducted that quarter
(RPPR)- the last quarter of the 12-
and accomplishments (block 25) Students
Oversight month reporting period is
doing substantive work relating to this Topic
replaced by the annual
Call
report.
(Include level, i.e., freshman, sophomore,
junior, senior, graduate as well as percentage
of time) (block 33)
• Student involved with the program who
obtained jobs in the field, including company
and position where possible (block 40)
• Other students exposed to or trained in Topic
Call Subject Areas through classes or other
activities (block 36)
• Status of academic papers (block 29,
conference talks (block 29), patents or similar
resulting from this work (block 31)
• Any other materials Grantee wants to provide
the Government (block 32)
• Others items of interest pertaining to the award
or student training (block 26)
If the RPRR does not provide sufficient space to
submit the information above, Grantees shall
submit an addendum with the information as part
of the RPRR.
3 Financial Via Form SF-425 reports charges made during the Due with quarterly Information will be
Execution - quarter (include labor hours charges and rate, by RPPR; no later than 5 provided at award
Oversight labor category), cumulative totals, and remaining business days after the
funds. end of each quarter of
work.
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4 Quarterly A discussion on status and progress in addition to Quarterly, NLT 10 days Information will be
Status the written quarterly RPRR. The first and third following receipt of the provided at award
Discussion – quarterly discussion will be approximately one quarterly RPRR.
Technical hour, held virtually, and focus on only the metrics
Assistance/Site and RPPR content. The second and fourth
Visits quarterly discussions will be in person (assume one
each year at the Government’s location and one at
the Grantees for costing purposes), half a day to a
day in length, and provide more detailed
presentations / discussions of the work undertaken
in the grant.
5 Annual RPPR- 90 days after the end of Information will be
Oversight the reporting period provided at award
6 Annual Update, re-certify, and resubmit Common 45 days prior to end of Information will be
Common Disclosure Forms for all covered individuals reporting period. provided at award
Disclosure (Biographical Sketch Common Form and Current
Forms- and Pending Support Common Form)
Oversight
6 Final RPPR- 90 days after the end of Information will be
Oversight the expiration or provided at award
termination of the award
7 Audits- The audit aims to ensure compliance with The Single Audit Act Information will be
Oversight government regulations and evaluate financial (amended in 1996) states provided at award
information, including expenses paid for with that grant recipients may
federal award funds. be subject to an audit
once a year.
Table 3: Reporting Requirements and Oversight Activities
5. Government Furnished Information/Data/Property
No Government furnished data or hardware will be provided in this topic call.
6. Security Considerations
Work under this effort will be at the unclassified level.
7.1. Unclassified Work Performance Security Requirements
Uncleared Contractor personnel are authorized to work on this contract at the unclassified level
only without the requirement of a security clearance
7.2. Uncleared Personnel Security Requirements
Should NGA identify the use of unauthorized personnel, the Grants Officer (GO) may direct the
Contractor, at its own expense, to remove and replace any unauthorized Contractors,
Subcontractors, or other personnel performing on the contract. Such action may be taken at the
NGA's discretion without prejudice to its rights under any other contract provision, e.g.,
termination for default.
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Uncleared Contractor personnel visiting NGA facilities or other sites may receive the appropriate
visitor badge and be escorted, as appropriate. The Contractor will return the visitor badge at the
end of each visit day.
7.3. Physical Security Requirements
Contractor personnel are forbidden from bringing prohibited or unauthorized items into any
NGA installation or other secure facility covered under this contract. These items include
weapons, cell phones, cameras, two-way pagers, laptops, recording devices of any kind, flash
drives, or any other removable media. Exceptions may be granted by NGA Security upon the
Contractor’s request. If granted, Contractor personnel must bring documentation showing
approval prior to entering with the item(s). Violations may subject the Contractor and its
offending personnel to civil and/or criminal liability IAW applicable laws and regulations
governing access to secure Government facilities.
7.4. Information Security Requirements
There are no information security requirements for this Topic Call.
7.5. Due Diligence Requirements
NGA conducts due diligence reviews in accordance with the DoD Policy for Risk-Based
Security Reviews of Fundamental Research. Please see the following link for more information
on disclosure and review requirements: https://basicresearch.defense.gov/Programs/Academic-
Research-Security/
7. Performance
8.1. Place of Performance:
The Applicant shall list place or places of performance in the proposal. If the Applicant wants to
collect data outside the United States and its Territories and their surrounding coastal waters, the
performer should notify NGA of this collection 45 days prior to the start of collection.
8.2. Period of Performance:
The resultant Grant will be established with a 24-month Base Funding Period with three (3) 12-
month Funding Periods, not to exceed a total of five (5) years. After funding the initial 24-month
period, additional funding increments will be provided at the sole discretion of the Government.
Applicants shall submit proposals that cover the entire proposed performance period; additional
funding increments which were not included in the original proposal cannot be added later.
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Appendix 1 Questions & Answers (Q&A)
# Topic 06 Reference Contractor Question Government Response
1
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