Continuing Human Enabling Enhancing Restoring and Sustaining

CHEERS MAA

Continuing Human Enabling, Enhancing, Restoring and
Sustaining (CHEERS)
Multiple Authority Announcement
FA2384-24-S-2233
Contents
1.0 Overview Information ....................................................................... 3
2.0 Full Text Announcement ................................................................... 5
2.1 Program Description: ....................................................................... 5
2.2 Solicitation Authority: ....................................................................... 5
2.3 Statement of Objective/Description of Technical Area(s): ...................... 5
2.4 Communication Between Prospective Offerors and Government
Representatives .................................................................................... 5
2.5 Within Scope Modifications: ............................................................... 5
2.6 Deliverable Items: ........................................................................... 5
2.7 Other Requirements ......................................................................... 5
2.8 Science and Technology (S&T) Protection: .......................................... 6
2.9 Other Information: ........................................................................... 6
2.9.1 Government Furnished Property (GFP) Availability: ......................... 6
2.9.2 Base Support/ Network Access: .................................................... 6
2.9.3 Multiple awards subject to Fair Opportunity:................................... 6
2.10 Contract Type/Instrument: .......................................................... 6
2.11 Data Rights Desired: ...................................................................... 7
3.0 Award Information ........................................................................... 7
3.1 Anticipated Award Date: ................................................................... 7
3.2 Anticipated funding: ......................................................................... 7
4.0 Eligible Offeror: ............................................................................... 7
4.1 Cost Sharing or Matching: ................................................................. 7
4.2 Federally Funded Research and Development Centers .......................... 7
4.3 Government Agencies: ..................................................................... 7
4.4 Other: ............................................................................................ 8
4.4.1 Foreign Participation: .................................................................. 8
4.4.2 White Paper/Proposal Limits: ....................................................... 8
4.5 Ineligibility: .................................................................................... 8
5.0 White Paper / Proposal and Submission Information ............................. 8
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6.0 White Paper / Proposal Review Information ........................................ 8
7.0 Award Administration Information .................................................... 8
7.1 Award Notices ................................................................................. 8
7.2 Administrative and National Policy Requirements ................................. 8
7.3 Reporting ....................................................................................... 8
8.0 Other Information ........................................................................... 8
8.1 Acquisition of Commercial Items: ....................................................... 8
8.2 Support Contractors: ........................................................................ 8
8.3 Feedback Sessions: .......................................................................... 9
List of Attachments: ............................................................................. 9
List of S&T Protection Appendices: ......................................................... 9
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Multiple Authority Announcement (MAA)
To access hyperlinks from this electronic solicitation – Hit CTRL and click on the
link.
1.0 Overview Information
Federal Agency Name Air Force Research Laboratory, Human Effectiveness
Directorate (AFRL/RH) & the United States Air Force School
of Medicine (USAFSAM)
MAA Title Continuing Human Enabling, Enhancing, Restoring, and
Sustaining (CHEERS)
MAA Number
FA2384-24-S-2233
MAA Type This is the Annual Update
Competition Type ‘Other Competitive Procedure’ as described in FAR
6.102(d)(2), FAR 35.016, DFARS 235.006-71, as well as 2
CFR §200.203 10 USC §4001 and 10 USC §3458
MAA Process The MAA process consolidates several solicitation authorities
under a single announcement. As Air Force Objectives are
identified, individual Solicitations will be released under this
overarching Announcement. Individual Solicitations may be
issued as Calls for Proposals OR Open Periods AND will
utilize either a One- OR Two-Step format. See Attachment
1, CHEERS MAA Industry Guide, for additional details.
White Paper/Proposal NO PROPOSALS ARE REQUESTED AT THIS TIME. Potential
Due Date offerors are invited to monitor this announcement for the
release of individual solicitations which will detail specified
Air Force Objectives. Each individual solicitation will identify
White Paper/Proposal due date(s) and time(s).
Anticipated Award Date TBD per individual solicitation.
Estimated Program Cost TBD per individual solicitation.
Anticipated Number of TBD per individual solicitation.
Awards
North American
The NAICS Code for this acquisition is
Industry Classification
System (NAICS) 541715 (Research and Technology in the Physical,
Engineering, and Life Sciences (except
Nanotechnology and Biotechnology), and the small
business size standard is 1,000 employees.
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Federal Assistance 12.800 AIR FORCE DEFENSE RESEARCH SCIENCES
Listing (Formally PROGRAM
Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance
(CFDA)) Number(s)
Agency Contacts Address general MAA questions to:
AFRL.711HPW.MAA@us.af.mil
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2.0 Full Text Announcement
2.1 Description:
The Air Force Research Laboratory, Human Effectiveness Directorate (AFRL/RH) and the
United States Air Force School of Medicine (USAFSAM) CHEERS MAA is intended to provide a
comprehensive strategy for AFRL/RH and USAFSAM’s range of Science and Technology (S&T)
and Studies and Analysis (S&A), allowing for progression from basic research to technology
maturation and transition.
2.2 Solicitation Authority:
Solicitations issued under this MAA will utilize any one, or a combination, of the authorities
below:
 10 U.S.C. 4001 Federal Acquisition Regulation and its Supplements (FAR(S))/FAR
Part 35.016 – Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs)
 10 U.S.C. 3458/DFARS 212.70 - Authority to acquire innovative commercial products
and commercial services using general solicitation competitive procedures
 10 U.S.C. 4021 – Research projects: transactions other than contracts & grants
(Other Transaction for Research)
 10 U.S.C. 4022 – Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain
prototype projects (Other Transaction for Prototype).
 10 U.S.C. 4023 – Procurement for Experimental Purposes
 10 U.S.C. 4001/32 CFR 22.205 – Grants and Cooperative Agreement
2.3 Statement of Objective/Description of Technical Area(s):
Solicitations issued under this MAA will seek approaches covering one or more of the
Technical Areas found in the attached Statements of Objectives.
2.4 Communication Between Prospective Offerors and Government
Representatives:
The communication plan with prospective offerors will be multi-pronged and tailored to
specific solicitation needs. The solicitation specific communication plan may include hosting
industry days, releasing Requests for Information (RFIs), conference engagements, and
direct notifications for classified solicitations.
Address technical questions to the Technical POC: TBD per Solicitation.
Address contracting questions to the Contracting POC: TBD per Solicitation.
2.5 Within Scope Modifications:
Potential offerors are advised that due to the inherent uncertainty of research and
development and technology transfer efforts, awards resulting from this announcement may
be modified during performance to make within scope changes, to include but not limited to,
modifications which increase overall contract ceiling amount and modifications under
authority of DFARS 235.006-71. Modifications will be governed by the applicable authority.
2.6 Deliverable Items:
TBD per Solicitation.
2.7 Other Requirements:
a. Program Security Classification: TBD per Solicitation. If a DD254 is applicable,
offerors must verify their Cognizant Security Office information is current with
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) at http://www.dcsa.mil.
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b. TEMPEST Requirements: TBD per Solicitation.
c. OPSEC: General Operations Security (OPSEC) procedures, policies and
awareness are required to reduce program vulnerability from successful
adversary collection and exploitation of critical information. OPSEC will be applied
throughout the life cycle of any effort awarded as a result of Solicitations issued
under this MAA. The Critical Information & Indicators List (CIIL) and the OPSEC
Plan will be provided upon request by AFRL DSO Security Manager Office. While
working on the government installation, OPSEC guidance and OPSEC training will
be provided by AFRL DSO Security Manager Office. This training will ensure
contractors are familiar with CIIL and OPSEC Plan as it pertains to their contract.
The contractor shall apply OPSEC in the management of their program IAW AFI
10-701 Operations Security and WPAFB Supplement to AFI-10-701.
d. Export Control: Information involved in awarded efforts may be subject to
Export Control (International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) 22 CFR 120-130,
or Export Administration Regulations (EAR) 15 CFR 710-774). Individual
Solicitations will specify applicable Export Control requirements. If Export Control
applies, then a Certified DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data
Agreement, will be required to be submitted with proposal. Only contractors who
are registered and certified with the Defense Logistics Agency and have a
legitimate business purpose may participate in this solicitation. Contact the
U.S./Canada Joint Certification Program Office, Defense Logistics Agency,
Logistics Information Services J34, HDI Federal Center, 74 Washington Avenue
N., Battle Creek, Michigan 49037-3084, (1-877-352-2255) or the Joint
Certification Program Office (JCO) at JCP-ADMIN@DLA.MIL for further information
on the certification process. You must submit a copy of your approved DD Form
2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, with your proposal, if required
by the solicitation.
2.8 Science and Technology (S&T) Protection:
S&T Protection requirements are governed by Air Force Research Laboratory Instruction
(AFRLI) 61-113, “Science and Technology (S&T) Protection for the Air Force Research
Laboratory”. See CHEERS MAA Industry Guide, Chapter 3 for additional details.
2.9 Other Information:
2.9.1 Government Furnished Property (GFP) Availability:
TBD per Solicitation. In accordance with FAR 45.201(b), the contractor is responsible for all
costs related to making the property available for use, such as payment of all
transportation, installation or rehabilitation costs.
2.9.2 Base Support/ Network Access:
TBD per Solicitation.
2.9.3 Multiple awards subject to Fair Opportunity:
TBD per Solicitation.
2.10 Contract Type/Instrument:
The Air Force may make award via any appropriate instrument allowed by the Authority
utilized in the applicable Solicitation. Solicitations may contemplate the award of FAR-based
contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, commercial contracts, Other Transactions for
Research (OTR), Other Transaction for Prototype (OTP), or Other Transaction like
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agreement. The Air Force may also consider award of an appropriate technology transfer
mechanism if applicable. It is anticipated that awards will generally be cost plus fixed fee.
However, other contract/instrument type awards are feasible dependent upon the program
requirements. For FAR-based awards, cost reimbursement contracts require successful
offerors to have an accounting system considered adequate for tracking costs applicable to
the contract.
This Announcement permits the award of initial production or initial or additional
items pursuant to the authority at DFARS 234.005. In addition, this Announcement provides
for the award of Prototype OTs and follow-on production contracts or transactions pursuant
to 10 USC 4022. Consequently, offerors and proposers are notified of the potential for
follow-on production contracts or transactions without the use of competitive procedures.
2.11 Data Rights Desired:
TBD per Solicitation. See CHEERS MAA Industry Guide, Chapter 3 for additional details.
3.0 Award Information
3.1 Anticipated Award Date:
TBD per Solicitation.
3.2 Anticipated funding:
TBD per Solicitation.
Any funding profiles provided should be considered estimates only and not a contractual
obligation for funding. All funding is subject to change due to Government discretion and
availability. Potential offerors should be aware that due to unanticipated budget fluctuations
funding in any or all areas may change with little or no notice.
4.0 Eligible Offeror:
It is anticipated that Solicitations issued under this MAA will be unrestricted. Small
businesses are encouraged to propose.
4.1 Cost Sharing or Matching:
TBD per Solicitation.
4.2 Federally Funded Research and Development Centers:
The following guidance is provided for Federally Funded Research and Development Centers
(FFRDCs) contemplating submitting a proposal in response to a Solicitation, as either a
prime or subcontractor. FAR 35.017-1(c)(4) prohibits an FFRDC from competing with any
non-FFRDC concern in response to a Federal agency request for proposal for other than the
operation of an FFRDC (with exceptions stated in DFARS 235.017-1(c)(4)). There is no
regulation prohibiting an FFRDC from responding to a Solicitation issued under this MAA.
However, the FFRDC’s sponsoring agency must first make a determination that the effort
being proposed falls within the purpose, mission, general scope of effort, or special
competency of the FFRDC, and that determination must be included in the FFRDC’s
proposal. In addition, AFRL must make a determination that the work proposed would not
place the FFRDC in direct competition with domestic private industry. Only after these
determinations are made, would a determination be made concerning the FFRDC’s eligibility
to receive an award.
4.3 Government Agencies:
If a Government agency is interested in performing work, contact the Program Manager
identified in the Solicitation. If those discussions result in a mutual interest to pursue your
agency’s participation, the effort will be pursued independent of that Solicitation.
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4.4 Other:
4.4.1 Foreign Participation:
Notice to Foreign-Owned Firms: Such firms are asked to immediately notify the Contracting
Officer identified in the Solicitation before deciding to respond. Foreign contractors should
be aware that restrictions might apply which could preclude their participation.
4.4.2 White Paper/Proposal Limits:
While not anticipated, Solicitations will determine any limits on the number of white
papers/proposals an offeror may submit. If permitted by the Solicitation, and an offeror
submits multiple white papers/proposals, each white paper/proposal must provide unique
approaches.
4.5 Ineligibility:
Offerors may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this Announcement and applicable
Solicitation are not met by any identified due date or Solicitation closing date.
5.0 White Paper / Proposal and Submission Information
See CHEERS MAA Industry Guide Chapter 4.
6.0 White Paper / Proposal Review Information
See CHEERS MAA Industry Guide Chapter 5.
7.0 Award Administration Information
7.1 Award Notices:
Solicitations will identify when Offerors will be notified whether their proposal is
recommended for award. The notification is not to be construed to mean that any contract,
agreement or assistance award is assured, as availability of funds and successful
negotiations are prerequisites to any award.
7.2 Administrative and National Policy Requirements:
See Section 2.0. Additional requirements may be TBD per Solicitation.
7.3 Reporting:
Specific reporting requirements attributable to individual authorities will be identified in the
Solicitation.
8.0 Other Information
8.1 Acquisition of Commercial Items:
Solicitations will determine whether or not the Air Force intends to use the policies
contained in Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items. However, in any case, interested
offerors may identify to the Contracting Officer their interest and capability to satisfy the
Government’s requirement with a commercial item within 15 days of Solicitation release.
8.2 Support Contractors:
Only Government employees will participate in Peer or Scientific Reviews. Offerors are
advised that employees of commercial firms under contract to the Government may be used
to administratively process proposals, monitor contract performance, or perform other
administrative duties requiring access to other contractors' proprietary information. These
support contracts include nondisclosure agreements prohibiting their contractor employees
from disclosing any information submitted by other contractors or using such information for
any purpose other than that for which it was furnished.
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8.3 Feedback Sessions:
a. Contracts: When requested, a Feedback Session will be provided with content
consistent with the procedures that govern BAAs (FAR 35.016 or applicable
regulation). The process will follow the time guidelines outlined in the award
notice described in Paragraph 7.1.
b. Assistance Instruments and Other Transactions: When requested, an
informal feedback session will be provided. The process will follow the time
guidelines outlined in the award notice described in Paragraph 7.1.
List of Attachments:
1. CHEERS MAA Industry Guide
2. RHW/RHD/RHW Technical Requirements - Statement of Objectives
3. USAFSAM Technical Requirements - Statement of Objectives
List of S&T Protection Appendices:
1. Appendix 1 – Standard Form (SF) 424, Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile
(Expanded) (For Grants and Cooperative Agreements)
2. Appendix 2 – Security Program Questionnaire
3. Appendix 3 – Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile Worksheet (For Contracts
and Other Transactions)
4. Appendix 4 – Privacy Act Statement
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Industry Guide

Continuing Human Enabling,
Enhancing, Restoring, and Sustaining
(CHEERS)
Multiple Authority Announcement (MAA)
Industry Guide
Version 2.0
Air Force Research Laboratory
Human Effectiveness Directorate & the United
States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine
(AFRL/RH & USAFSAM)
20 November 2025
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Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
CHAPTER 2: MAA SOLICITATION VARIATIONS ................................................................................................ 5
CHAPTER 3: GENERAL SOLICIATION PROCESS ................................................................................................ 6
CHAPTER 4: WHITE PAPER/PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................... 15
CHAPTER 5: REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCEDURES ................................................................................... 23
CHAPTER 6: ADDITIONAL FAR-BASED REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................ 25
CHAPTER 7: ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE INSTRUMENT REQUIREMENTS ........................................................ 26
CHAPTER 8: ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR OTHER TRANSACTIONS (OTs) UNDER 10 USC §4021,
§4022, and §4023 ........................................................................................................................................ 32
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1. MAA Overview: A Multiple Authority Announcement (MAA) is a unique solicitation
method in which various solicitation authorities are consolidated under a single
announcement. The CHEERS MAA is intended to provide a comprehensive strategy
for the Air Force Research Laboratory, Human Effectiveness Directorate and the
United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine’s (AFRL/RH and USAFSAM)
range of Science and Technology (S&T) and Studies and Analysis (S&A), by creating
an announcement that allows for progression from basic research to technology
maturation and transition.
This MAA may utilize Calls for Proposal and/or Open Period solicitations that enable
study efforts on novel concepts, as well as R&D to mature technologies and conduct
integrated demonstrations, experimentation, and eventual transition of technology to
mission partners. Under this approach, individual Call for Proposal solicitations will
be issued when requirements are identified by AFRL/RH or USAFSAM. Open Period
solicitations will be issued when either AFRL/RH or USAFSAM wishes to receive
offeror-generated ideas. Either solicitation type may utilize a one-step approach or a
two-step approach. See Chapter 2 of this guide for more information on the available
variations and formats of MAA solicitations.
To preserve the integrity of competition, a “moratorium” on White Paper acceptance
under Open Period solicitations will be issued in cases where a Call for Proposal is
released covering the same topic areas as the Open Period. The Open Period
Moratorium will last 6 months and go into effect upon the closing date for proposal
receipt under the Call for Proposals.
2. Using this Guide: This guide is intended to familiarize existing and potential
AFRL/RH or USAFSAM Industry Partners with the Multiple Authority
Announcement (MAA) acquisition approach, as well as the specific nuances of the
CHEERS MAA (referred to hereafter as “MAA” or “the Announcement”). This guide
will:
 Supplement information contained in the MAA and resulting solicitations.
 Provide standardization which potential offerors can leverage to aid in
streamlining their internal proposal preparation processes.
 Reduce barriers to competition by providing supplemental information on less-
familiar acquisition concepts/tools that are available for use, such as Other
Transaction Authorities.
The Announcement and this Industry Guide will be reviewed and updated annually to
ensure documents are reflective of the most current statutes, regulations and policy.
Potential offerors are encouraged to, first, become familiar with the MAA and this
guide, and then use them for reference when responding to requirements released
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under solicitations. In the event of conflicting information, offerors should use the
following order of precedence: (1) Solicitation; (2) MAA; (3) Industry Guide.
3. Solicitation Authority Limitations:
• BAA Authority (10 USC §4001/FAR Part 35) will be limited to 6.1 – 6.4 R&D funds
IAW DFARS 235.016 & be utilized for acquisition of basic and applied research and
that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or
hardware procurement. *Unless conditions in DFARS 235.006-71(b) are met.
• Commercial Solutions Opening Authority (10 USC §3458/DFARS Part 212) will be
limited to the uses described in DFARS 212.7002.
• Other Transactions for Research Authority (10 USC §4021) can be either acquisition
OR assistance. Will be limited to basic, applied, and advanced research projects.
• Other Transactions for Prototype Authority (10 USC §4022) will be limited to
prototype projects that are directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of
military personnel to be acquired or developed by DoD, or to improvement of
platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces.
• Procurement for Experimental Purposes Authority (10 USC §4023) will be limited to
procurement for experiment or test purposes in the development of the best supplies
that are needed for the national defense in the specified technical areas.
• Assistance Authority (10 USC §4001/32 CFR 22.205) will be limited to when the
goal of the project is to provide assistance by transferring a thing of value to
accomplish a public purpose.
4. Maximizing Competition Under CHEERS: The CHEERS MAA is designed to
reach the broadest range of Industry Partners possible, including both Small and Large
Businesses, Educational/Research Institutions and Non-Profit Organizations, as well
as Non-Traditional Defense Contractors (NTDCs).
The CHEERS MAA will be posted on the Government Point of Entry (GPE), www.sam.gov,
as a “Special Notice”. Individual solicitations issued under the CHEERS MAA will be
posted as stand-alone “Solicitations” and will include a link to the MAA posting.
Solicitations issued under the authority of 32 CFR 22.205, will also be posted on
www.grants.gov. All information that a potential offeror might need to respond to a
solicitation, will be posted with the solicitation. However, offerors may find it helpful to refer
back to the original MAA posting and amendments. The MAA posting and individual
solicitation postings are intentionally kept separate in order to reduce potential digital
congestion.
Offerors interested in specific Technical Areas are encouraged to review the CHEERS
Solicitation Log excel spreadsheet located at the Announcement posting on www.sam.gov
(reference Special Notice posting). This spreadsheet can be sorted by Technical Area to
identify all solicitations that have released requirements in that area. Potential offerors are
also encouraged to “follow” the CHEERS MAA and subsequent solicitations. Offerors can
follow a solicitation by hitting the “Follow” button in the upper right corner of the posting.
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CHAPTER 2: MAA SOLICITATION VARIATIONS
The following solicitation variations are approved for use under this MAA. A single
solicitation may use one or any combination of the following:
1. Call for Proposal: One- or two-step requests for proposal that allow for submittal
at a defined date and time as specified in the solicitation. Adequate Price
Competition may exist.
2. Open Period: One- or two-step requests for proposal that allow for submittal at any
time within the active period specified in the solicitation. Open Period solicitations
provide maximum adaptability for both Government and Industry to account for
ever changing/evolving technology landscape and/or when contractor-generated
ideas are sought. Adequate Price Competition will not exist.
The above solicitation variations may be issued in either of the following formats. Refer to
Chapter 4 of this User Guide for more specific requirements for each format:
1. One-Step: Potential offerors are invited to submit a full Cost and Technical Proposal in
response to, and in accordance with, the requirements established in this MAA and the
applicable solicitation.
2. Two-Step: Potential offerors are invited to submit a White Paper in response to, and in
accordance with, the requirements established in this MAA and the applicable
solicitation. Full technical and cost proposals will then be requested from those offerors
who submitted White Papers determined to be of further interest to AFRL/RH or
USAFSAM.
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CHAPTER 3: GENERAL SOLICIATION PROCESS
1. Solicitations under CHEERS – either Calls for Proposal OR Open Periods – will be
announced on the Government Point of Entry (GPE) (www.sam.gov) and, for solicitations that
contemplate the use of Assistance Instruments, www.grants.gov. Solicitations will request
interested offerors to submit either a White Paper (Two-Step process) or full Technical and
Cost Proposals (One- Step process). It is recommended that interested Offerors read each
Solicitation very carefully. Solicitation information may vary, but will likely include the
following:
 An identifying Individual Solicitation Title and Number
 Applicable Solicitation Authority
 Applicable MAA Technical Area(s)
 Statement of Objectives (SOO) or Research Objectives or Research Problem
 Statement of Work (SOW) Supplemental Requirements
 Technical and Contracting Points of Contact
 Anticipated Deliverable Items, including any anticipated hardware, software,
or data deliverables
 Program Security Classification/TEMPEST Requirements
 Specific export-control requirements. If export controlled technical data is
involved, a note advising that only firms holding certification under the
US/Canada Joint Certification Program (JCP) are allowed access to such data.
 Science & Technology (S&T) Protection Requirements
 Government Furnished Property (GFP) Requirements
 White Paper/Proposal Due Date & Time
 Base Support/Network Access
 Anticipated Contract Type(s)/Instrument(s)
 Data Rights Desired
 Anticipated Award Dates and Funding Information
 White Paper/Proposal format, if deviates from Industry Guide
 Evaluation Criteria for White Paper/Proposals, if deviates from MAA
 Additional Administrative and National Policy Requirements not already identified
 Reporting requirements
 Section K, Representations and Certifications attachment
2. AFRL/RH or USAFSAM reserves the right to award zero, one, or more contracts
for all, some or none of the solicited effort based on the offeror’s ability to
perform desired work and funding fluctuations.
3. Data Rights Desired: It is anticipated that solicitations issued under this MAA will be
primarily for Research and Development efforts where AFRL/RH or USAFSAM
anticipates funding the development of the data. The following outlines the most
anticipated data rights desired. Any expected deviations will be identified in the
solicitation. The FAR(S) clauses referenced below do not apply to awards made
pursuant to Non-FAR authorities, however those efforts are expected to utilize the
following framework as a starting point for negotiations.
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(1) Other Than Commercial Technical Data: Unlimited Rights
(2) Other Than Commercial Computer Software: Unlimited Rights
(3) Other Than Commercial Software Documentation: Unlimited Rights
(4) Commercial Computer Software Rights: Customary Commercial License
consistent with Federal statutes and regulations
Terms used in this section are defined in the clauses at 252.227-7013, Rights in
Technical Data-Other Than Commercial Products and Commercial Services, and
252.227-7014, Rights in Other Than Commercial Computer Software and Other
Than Commercial Computer Software Documentation.
Offerors that propose delivery of other than commercial technical data, other than
commercial computer software, or other than commercial computer software
documentation subject to less than Unlimited Rights should fully explain how a
portion or all of the data was developed at private expense. Specifically, offerors
must explain what other than commercial technical data, other than commercial
computer software, or other than commercial computer software documentation
developed with costs charged to indirect cost pools and/or costs not allocated to a
Government contract will be incorporated, how the incorporation will benefit the
program, and address whether those portions or processes are segregable.
Offerors shall include the data rights assertions as required by DFARS 252.227-
7017, Identification and Assertion of Use, Release, or Disclosure Restrictions. The
data rights assertions list is included in Section K (an attachment to the solicitation)
and is due by the proposal due date listed within the solicitation. Assertions must
be completed with specificity. Each assertion must identify the other than
commercial technical data or computer software to be delivered and the associated
item, component, process, software, or documentation developed exclusively or
partially at private expense to which it pertains. Nonconforming data rights
assertions will be returned until the table complies with DFARS 252.227-7017.
In accordance with DFARS 252.227-7013(b)(1) and 252.227-7014(b)(1), the
Government shall receive unlimited rights in all other than commercial technical
data and computer software developed exclusively with Government funds.
a. Third Party Software (Commercial and Other Than Commercial): In
accordance with DFARS 252.227-7014(d), for commercial computer software,
the Government will neither accept nor execute a DD Form 250 for such
software deliverables until the Contractor obtains from all third party software
suppliers and/or vendors (Licensor) licenses for any commercial computer
software to be delivered that are consistent with Federal Statutes, Federal Case
Law, and Federal Regulations.
If any such software, other than commercial or commercial, is not reasonably
identifiable at proposal submission, it must still be approved by the contracting
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officer prior to incorporation. This obligation to obtain pre-approval by the
contracting officer, as described above, continues throughout contract
administration and performance.
b. Other Than Commercial Computer Software: All other than commercial
computer software will receive the appropriate level rights set forth in DFARS
252.227-7014(b). Which include: Unlimited rights, Government Purpose
Rights (GPR), Restricted Rights, or rights identified within a specifically
negotiated license attached to the contract.
DFARS 252.227-7014(d) describes requirements for incorporation of third
party other than commercial copyrighted computer software or computer
software documentation.
The following may be applicable to any solicitations in which any amount of
commercial computer software is anticipated to be delivered under a resulting
award.
End User License Agreement (EULA), Software Terms of Service (TOS), or
similar legal instrument or agreement - There are common commercial
software license terms within EULA, TOS, or similar legal instruments or
agreements that violate Federal law and therefore shall not be included or
incorporated under any awards made against this MAA. If the proposed offer
includes any of these type of instruments or agreements, the offeror is required
to provide a signed software license rider along with its proposal. The software
license and rider will be attached to the awarded action. The Contracting POC
identified in the solicitation can provide a copy of the Rider template, as
necessary.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of terms and conditions which are
inconsistent with Federal law or Government policy and shall not be included
in the commercial computer software license agreement between the Licensor
and the Government. Only the Contracting Officer has the authority to bind the
Government:
1) The license shall not subject the Government to a contingent liability or
a liability that is indefinite or indeterminate, including but not limited
to: indemnification clauses, unilateral price increases, the right to
attorney fees, automatic assessment of charges, or automatic renewal
provisions. These provisions constitute obligations in advance or in
excess of an appropriation and violate the Anti-Deficiency Act.
2) The license shall be governed by Federal Statutes, Federal Case Law,
and Federal Regulations, and shall not be subject to the laws or
jurisdiction of any municipality, state, or foreign country. The license
shall not bind the Government to litigation in a particular forum or
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venue or require the Government to participate in arbitration.
3) The license shall not include non-substitution language that would
preclude or limit the Government from using another vendor/reseller
and/or product to fulfill Government requirements.
4) The Licensor shall not have the authority to unilaterally terminate the
license. All remedies available shall be consistent with the Disputes
and Termination Clauses in the underlying basic contract.
5) The Licensor shall not have the right to enter the premise or monitor
Government networks for the purpose of auditing the use of the license.
6) The Licensor shall not have the authority to control or otherwise
influence any litigation between a third party and the Government. The
United States Department of Justice has the sole authority to represent
the Government in all litigation matters.
7) The Licensor shall not use the fact that the Government is using the
Licensor’s products in any notification or advertisement to the public
(e.g., no publicity rights permitted).
8) The license shall not require automatic updates or give Licensor the
authority to unilaterally replace the software.
9) The license shall not hold the Government liable for directly imposed
sales and use taxes.
Additionally, the Contractor may be required to obtain licenses that comply with
any or all of the following terms and conditions, as applicable, based on the
Government’s needs:
1) The license shall not disclaim all warranties through use of an “as is”
provision.
2) The license shall neither restrict the Government from using the product
at various sites nor limit use of the product by various Government
agencies or third parties performing work on behalf of the Air Force
under the [PROGRAM NAME]. In performance of the [PROGRAM
NAME], Government personnel as well as Government contractors may
use the software, subject to any negotiated limits on number of users, as
applicable.
3) The license shall not limit the Government’s use of the software at other
Government and Government contractor sites. The license shall
authorize the Government to use the software at the following sites:
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[list].
4) The license shall not restrict the Government from copying or
embedding elements of accessible code into other applications (e.g.,
nesting code, derivative works).
The Contractor may obtain agreement from the Licensor to insert the clause below
in its respective software licenses intended to be transferred to the Government:
“In the event that any of the provisions of the [Software License] are
determined to be inconsistent with Federal law or do not otherwise satisfy
the Government’s needs, the parties to the [Software License] hereby agree
that such provisions shall be null and void as they pertain to the
Government. Specifically, the following sections are hereby deleted from
the [Software License] [and/or amended as indicated below]:
[Section X: deleted; Section Y: amended as follows […]”
If the Licensor will not agree to the terms and conditions cited herein and/or as
contained in DFARS 227.72, the Contractor shall retain the current license on
behalf of and for the benefit of the US Government if permissible under its license
and such use will not subject the Government to the terms of the license. If the
software in question is required to be delivered to the Government, the Licensor
must grant the Government a sublicense that allows the Government to use the
software to meet its requirements.
The Contractor shall provide documentation to clearly correlate or map any
commercial computer software to be delivered to:
a) Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs);
b) Contract Deliverables (CDRLs);
c) Paragraphs in the Statement of Work (SOW); and
d) Portions of any functional block diagrams and/or system architecture
diagrams, so that it can be readily determined where certain commercial
computer software corresponding to certain software license agreement(s) are
physically located on the system to be delivered under the contract.
4. Government Furnished Property (GFP) Availability: Solicitations will identify if any GFP
is anticipated to be available for use during performance. In accordance with FAR 45.201(b),
the contractor is responsible for all costs related to making the property available for use,
such as payment of all transportation, installation, or rehabilitation costs.
If an offeror proposes the use of GFP, other than GFP identified in the solicitation, the offer
must specifically identify each piece of GFP in the Cost/Business Proposal and propose and
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substantiate a rental cost for evaluation purposes. Include the following information in the
proposal:
a. A list describing all Government property that the offeror or its subcontractors
propose to use on a rent-free basis. The list shall identify the accountable contract
under which the property is held and the authorization for its use (from the
contracting officer having cognizance of the property);
b. The dates during which the property will be used and, for any property that will be
used concurrently in performing two or more contracts, the amounts of the respective
uses in sufficient detail to support prorating the rent;
c. The amount of rent that would otherwise be charged in accordance with FAR 52.245-
9, Use and Charges; and
d. The voluntary consensus standard or industry leading practices and standards to be
used in the management of Government property, or existing property management
plans, methods, practices, or procedures for accounting for property.
5. Science & Technology (S&T) Protection
a. Security Risk Review
1) The Security Risk Review is applied to federally funded research designed to help protect
Department of the Air Force Science and Technology (S&T) by identifying possible
vectors of undue foreign influence. AFRL will follow all policy and procedures outlined
in Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Instruction AFRLI 61-113, Science and
Technology Protection for the Air Force Research Laboratory and Department of the Air
Force Instruction DAFI 63-101/20-101, Integrated Lifecycle Management.
2) Security risk review for proposals will be developed for all proposed Senior/Key
personnel and “Covered Individuals”. These risk reviews will be based on information
disclosed in a Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile and Security
Questionnaire. In addition, any accompanying or referenced documents, publicly
available information, and information contained in internal U.S. Government databases
will be utilized in risk reviews. Nationality or citizenship is not a factor in the security
risk reviews.
3) When considering all external engagements, AFRL incorporates a holistic decision-
making process that encompasses technical and security factors. The security review
method implemented by AFRL measures risk factors to identify the appropriate Risk
Acceptance Level (RAL) within the organization. The objective analysis of the security
risk factors is conducted to empower AFRL’s S&T leaders to make risk-informed
decisions. The review process generally looks at five factors, or risk areas, but with
authority for expanded review as noted in The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)) Memorandum dated 6 Jun 2023. The
potential security risk factors are set forth below:
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4) The documents identified in the ensuing sections are provided as Appendices to the
CHEERS MAA and are further discussed in Chapters 4 and 7 of this Guide.
b. Actions Required by Offerors at Proposal Submission
1) By submission of the Research and Related Senior Key Person Profile and Security
Program Questionnaire, the Offeror agrees to comply with the following:
(i) To certify that each covered individual who is listed on the application has been made
aware: 1) of all relevant disclosure requirements, including the requirements of 42 U.S.C.
§ 6605; and 2) that false representations may be subject to prosecution and liability
pursuant to, but not limited to, 18 U.S.C. §§287, 1001, 1031 and 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733
and 3802. See National Science and Technology Council Guidance for Implementing
National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) on National Security
Strategy for United States Government-Supported Research and Development (January
2022).
(ii) To establish and maintain an internal process or procedure to address foreign talent
programs, conflicts of commitment, conflicts of interest, and research integrity.
(iii) To exercise due diligence to identify Foreign Components or participation by
Senior/Key Personnel in Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs and agree to
share such information with the Government upon request.
c. Actions Required by Covered Individuals
1) Covered Individual. An individual who contributes to a substantive, meaningful way to
the scientific development or execution of a research and development project proposed
to be carried out with a research and development award from a federal research agency;
and is designated as a covered individual by the federal research agency concerned. See
42 U.S.C. § 6605, Definitions. (Note: For purposes of a Broad Agency Announcement
(BAA) solicitation, “covered individuals” are all Senior/Key Personnel.)
2) Federal law requires that all current and pending research support, as defined by 42
U.S.C. §6605, must be disclosed at the time of application/proposal submission, for all
covered individuals. The Government may require an updated disclosure during the
performance of any research project selected for funding. The Government will require an
updated disclosure whenever covered individuals are added or identified as performing
under the funded project.
3) Covered Individuals are also required to sign the “Privacy Act Statement” and provide
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such signed statement to the Applicant/Recipient and/or Offeror/Contractor for
submission with the application/proposal.
4) Any decision to accept an application/proposal for funding under the solicitation will
include full reliance on the individual’s statements. Failure to report fully and completely
all sources of project support and outside positions and affiliations may be considered a
material statement within the meaning of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729, and
constitute a violation of Federal law.
d. Actions Required by Recipients/Contractors During Period of Performance
1) Re-submit the Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile as an annual
requirement. In addition, whenever a new Covered Individual(s) is to be added or
identified as performing under the funded project, a new Research and Related Senior and
Key Person Profile will be required prior to continued performance.
2) If, at any time, during performance the Recipient/Contractor learns that its Senior/Key
Research Personnel (including any sub awardee personnel who receive this designation)
are or are believed to be participants in a Foreign Government Talent Program or have
Foreign Components with a strategic competitor or country with a history of targeting
U.S. technology for unauthorized transfer, the Recipient/Contractor shall notify the
Contracting/Grants/Agreements Officer within 5 business days of awareness.
i. This disclosure must include specific information as to the personnel involved and
the nature of the situation and relationship. The Government will review this
information and conduct any necessary fact-finding or discussion with the
Recipient/Contractor. The Government’s determination on disclosure may include
acceptance, mitigation, or termination of the award.
3) Failure of the Recipient/Contractor to reasonably exercise due diligence to discover or
ensure that neither it nor any of its Senior/Key Research Personnel involved in the award
are participating in a Foreign Government Talent Program or have a Foreign Component
with a strategic competitor or country with a history of targeting U.S. technology for
unauthorized transfer may result in the Government exercising remedies in accordance
with federal law and regulation.
4) The Recipient/Contractor will be required to flow down this requirement to all sub
awardees/contractors who have personnel designated as Senior/Key Research Personnel
as a result of their involvement in the performance of the research.
6. Ombudsman
a. An ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from
offerors, potential offerors, and others for this announcement/solicitation. When
requested, the ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the
concern. The existence of the ombudsman does not affect the authority of the Program
Manager or Contracting Officer. Further, the ombudsman does not participate in the
evaluation of the proposals, or the adjudication of protests or formal contract disputes.
The ombudsman may refer the interested party to another official who can resolve the
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concern.
b. Before consulting with an ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns,
issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the Contracting Officer for the
resolution. Consulting an ombudsman does not alter or postpone the timelines for any
other processes (e.g., agency level bid protests, GAO bid protests).
c. If resolution cannot be made by the Contracting Officer, the interested party may contact
the ombudsman:
Ombudsman: AFRL/PK Technical Director
Alternate Ombudsman: AFRL/PK Deputy Director of Contracting
1864 4th Street
WPAFB, OH 45433
Phone: (937) 503-2186
Email: afrl.pk.workflow@us.af.mil
Concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations that cannot be resolved at the
Center/MAJCOM/DRU/SMC ombudsman level may be brought by the interested party
for further consideration to the Air Force ombudsman, Associate Deputy Assistant
Secretary (ADAS) (Contracting), SAF/AQC, 1060 Air Force Pentagon, Washington DC
20330-1060, phone number (571) 256-3195, facsimile number (571) 256-2431.
d. The ombudsman has no authority to render a decision that binds the agency.
e. Do not contact the ombudsman to request copies of the announcement/solicitation, verify
due dates, or clarify technical requirements/questions. Such inquiries shall be directed to
the Contracting Officer.
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CHAPTER 4: WHITE PAPER/PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
1. Overview: Individual solicitations issued under CHEERS will identify whether a One- or
Two-Step process is being utilized. Each individual solicitation will identify either a
specified submission date OR the date in which a solicitation is considered closed and no
more white papers/proposals will be accepted. Offeror’s responding to a One-Step
Solicitation shall refer directly to the Proposal Preparation Instructions below. AFRL/RH or
USAFSAM reserves the right to amend/modify any of the requirements below, based on the
circumstances of individual solicitations. Any deviations will be clearly identified within the
body of the solicitation. Potential offerors are reminded that in the event of conflicting
information, offerors should use the following order of precedence: (1) Solicitation; (2)
MAA; (3) Industry Guide.
2. The cost of preparing white papers or proposals in response to CHEERS solicitations is not
considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting or any other contract; however, it may
be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost as specified in FAR
31.205-18.
3. Offerors are advised that only Contracting/Grants/Agreements Officers are legally authorized
to contractually bind or otherwise commit the Government.
4. No classified white papers or proposals are expected. Offerors are encouraged to keep all
elements of the proposal package unclassified. In the rare case where an offeror has a need
to submit a classified appendix, please contact the technical POC for delivery instructions.
5. White Paper Preparation Instructions:
a. General: A Two-Step solicitation requests a white paper and rough order of magnitude
(ROM) cost. The white paper shall include a discussion of the nature and scope of the
offeror’s proposed technical approach and the way in which it aligns to the SOO.
AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will review the white papers in accordance with the FIRST
STEP Peer or Scientific Review criteria, set forth in Chapter 5 below. Based on this
review, AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will determine which of the white papers have the
potential to best meet AFRL/RH or USAFSAM’s needs. Offerors will be notified of the
disposition of their white paper. Those offerors submitting white papers assessed as
meeting AFRL/RH or USAFSAM needs, will be asked to submit a technical and cost
proposal. Those offerors not requested to submit a technical and cost proposal will not be
further considered, but may request feedback information in accordance with Section 8.3
of the MAA. An offeror submitting a proposal without first submitting a white paper will
not be eligible for an award.
b. Page Limitation:
1) The White Paper shall be limited to 5 pages, prepared and submitted in Word
format.
2) Font shall be standard 10-point business font Arial.
3) Character spacing must be “normal,” not condensed in any manner.
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4) Pages shall be double-spaced (must use standard double-space function in
Microsoft Word), 8.5 by 11 inches, with at least one-inch margins on both sides,
top and bottom.
5) All text, including text in tables and charts, must adhere to all font size and line
spacing requirements listed herein. Font and line spacing requirements do not
have to be followed for illustrations, flowcharts, drawings, diagrams, cover page,
table of contents, and restrictive/proprietary markings (in header or footer). These
exceptions shall not be used to circumvent formatting requirements and page
count limitations by including lengthy narratives in such items.
6) Pages shall be numbered starting with the cover page being Page 1, and the last
page being no greater than Page 5. The page limitation covers all information
including indices, photographs, foldouts (counted as 1 page for each 8.5 by 11
portion) tables, charts, appendices, etc. AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will not
consider pages in excess of these limitations.
c. Format: The white paper will be formatted as follows:
1) Section A: Solicitation Number (Note: this is the solicitation number, not the
CHEERS MAA announcement number FA2384-24-S-2233), Title of Program,
Name of Offeror, Business Size, Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE)
number, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, Offeror’s Contracting POC
and Technical POC names telephone numbers and email addresses.
Solicitations requesting classified submissions may require the following
information: Classified level at which submitter is cleared, submitter address
for forwarding classified material (name, address, zip code), cognizant security
office (name, address, zip code), and Offeror’s security officer’s name and
telephone number);
2) Section B: Period of Performance and Task Objectives;
3) Section C: Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables; and
4) Section D: Cost of Task (Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)). The ROM shall be
formatted to provide both annual and total costs. Major tasks shall be separately
estimated.
d. Technical Portion: The technical portion of the white paper shall include a discussion of
the nature and scope of the effort and the offeror’s proposed technical approach/solution.
It may also include any proposed deliverables. Resumes, descriptions of facilities and
equipment, a proposed Statement of Work are not required at this point.
e. Cost Portion: No detailed price or cost support information should be forwarded; only a
time-phased bottom line ROM should be provided.
f. Other Information: If the offeror wishes to restrict a white paper, they must be marked
with the restrictive language stated in FAR 52.215-1(e). See Sec 6(b) for additional
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information.
g. White Paper/Proposal Content Summary: You may be ineligible for award if all
requirements of the CHEERS MAA and applicable solicitation are not met on the White
Paper due date.
6. Proposal Preparation Instructions:
a. General: If utilizing a one-step solicitation, AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will request
submission of a technical and cost proposal directly from offerors. If utilizing a two-step
solicitation, offerors will be directed to submit a technical and cost proposal via issuance
of a Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP will explicitly state the due date for proposal.
Offerors can expect roughly 30 days for proposal turnaround, depending on scope of
proposal effort. After receipt, proposals will be reviewed in accordance with the award
criteria in Chapter 5 of this guide. Proposals will be categorized and subsequently
selected for funding.
b. Offerors should apply the restrictive notice prescribed in FAR 52.215-1(e) Instructions to
Offerors—Competitive Acquisition. Offerors should consider proposal instructions
contained in the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Guide for Industry, which can be
accessed online at:
https://www.afrl.af.mil/Portals/90/Documents/HQ/BAA%20Ind%20Guide%202020.pdf?ver=7AivkWvoUoptKgypgCuIvw%3d%3d.
This guide is specifically designed to assist the offeror in understanding the BAA
proposal process, but is also applicable to other AFRL/RH or USAFSAM solicitation
methods, including this CHEERS MAA.
c. Technical/management and cost/business volumes should be submitted in separate
volumes and must be valid for 180 days.
d. Proposals must reference the Solicitation number.
e. Although NOT anticipated in most cases, solicitations will identify if offerors are
required to submit HARD COPY proposals, in additional to electronic proposals. If
required, specific delivery instructions and the number of copies required will be
identified.
f. If a Solicitation indicates that an IDIQ type effort is anticipated, Offerors must propose
each of the following to be considered for an IDIQ award:
1) Basic IDIQ Proposals
a) Basic IDIQ proposal-Technical and Management
b) Basic IDIQ Statement of Work (SOW) in response to applicable
Statement of Objectives (SOO)
c) Basic IDIQ Business Proposal (including Subcontracting Plan, if
applicable, in accordance with FAR 19.7)
2) Task Order (TO) Proposals (required for every TO that the Offeror wishes to
propose against)
a) T.O. Proposal-Technical and Management
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b) T.O. SOW in response to applicable SOO
c) T.O. Cost (TO only) and Business Proposal
7. Technical/Management Proposal Requirements:
a. Page Limitations:
1) The Technical/Management Proposal shall be limited to TBD per Solicitation
or RFP pages. Technical/Management proposals and Statements of Work
must be provided in Microsoft Word. Signed pages may be submitted in
Adobe.
2) IDIQ Efforts: the Technical/Management Proposal shall be limited to TBD
per Solicitation or RFP pages for the Basic IDIQ; and the
Technical/Management Proposal shall be limited to TBD for each for TO.
3) Font shall be standard 10-point business font Arial.
4) Character spacing must be “normal,” not condensed in any manner.
5) Pages shall be double-spaced (must use standard double-space function in
Microsoft Word), 8.5 by 11 inches, with at least one-inch margins on both
sides, top and bottom.
6) All text, including text in tables and charts, must adhere to all font size and
line spacing requirements listed herein. Font and line spacing requirements do
not have to be followed for illustrations, flowcharts, drawings, diagrams,
cover page, table of contents, and restrictive/proprietary markings (in header
or footer). These exceptions shall not be used to circumvent formatting
requirements and page count limitations by including lengthy narratives in
such items.
7) Pages shall be numbered starting with the cover page being Page 1, and the
last page being no greater than Page TBD. The page limitation covers all
information including indices, photographs, foldouts (counted as 1 page for
each 8.5 by 11 portion) tables, charts, appendices, etc.
8) The proposal page limit does not include the offeror’s proposed Statement of
Work (SOW); however, the same formatting rules apply to the SOW, which is
limited to 5 pages.
b. S&T Protection Required Documents: In accordance with AFRLI 61-113, Offerors
are required to submit the following documentation with the proposal:
1) Security Program Questionnaire (MAA Appendix 2); AND
2) Research and Related (R&R) Senior and Key Person Profile Worksheet (MAA
Appendix 3); AND
3) “Privacy Act Statement” consent form for each Covered Individual that is also
signed by the Offer as the Individual’s Sponsor (MAA Appendix 4). See also
Chapter 3.
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c. Please Note: AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will check the proposal and SOW for
conformance to the stated requirements. Any pages in excess of the stated page
limitation after the format check will not be considered for review purposes.
d. The Technical/Management proposal(s) shall include a discussion of the nature and scope
of the research and the technical approach. Additional information on prior work in this
area, descriptions of available equipment, use of base support (if desired), data and
facilities and resumes of personnel who will be participating in this effort should also be
included as attachments to the technical proposal. These attachments will not count
toward page count but should not be used as a way to circumvent page count limitations.
The Technical/Management proposal(s) shall include a SOW (in response to the AFRL
generated SOO attached to each applicable solicitation issued under this MAA) detailing
the technical tasks proposed to be accomplished under the proposed effort. Do not
include any proprietary information in the SOW. In addition to the contractor proposed
SOW, an AFRL/RH or USAFSAM generated SOW attachment containing additional
contracting requirements will be included in any resulting contracts. An AFRL/RH or
USAFSAM generated Statement of Objectives (SOO) will be attached to subsequent
solicitations issued under this MAA.
8. Cost/Business Proposal:
a. Separate the proposal into a business section and cost section. If adequate price
competition (APC) is anticipated for FAR-based contracts, that will be indicated in the
solicitation. If APC does not exist, and the negotiated contract is equal to or expected to
exceed the threshold identified in FAR 15.403-4, submission of certified cost or pricing
data will be required.
b. The business section should contain all business information pertinent to the proposed
contract, such as type of contract, any exceptions to terms and conditions of the
announcement and/or solicitation (including any model contract, if provided with
solicitation), any information not technically related, etc. Provide rationale for exception.
c. Associate Contractor Agreements (ACAs): If applicable, ACAs are agreements
between contractors working on Government contracts that require them to share
information, data, technical knowledge, expertise, or resources. The contracting officer
may require ACAs when contractors working on separate Government contracts must
cooperate, share resources or otherwise jointly participate in working on contracts or
projects. Prime contractor to subcontractor relationships do not constitute ACAs. For
each award, the contracting officer will identify associate contractors with whom
agreements are required.
d. Identify any technical data that will be delivered with less than unlimited rights.
e. Subcontracting Plans: For FAR-based contracts, expected to exceed the threshold
identified at FAR 19.702(a)(1)(i), Subcontracting Plans shall be submitted in the
cost/business proposal. Reference FAR 19.704 and DFARS 219.704 for subcontracting
plan requirements. Small business concerns are exempt from this requirement. If an
IDIQ contract arrangement is anticipated, the basis for the subcontracting plan should
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reflect the entire ceiling amount.
f. Limitations on Pass-Through Charges: As prescribed in FAR 15.408(n)(1) &
15.408(n)(2), provisions 52.215-22, “Limitations on Pass Through Charges-
Identification of Subcontract Effort (Oct 2009),” apply for FAR-based contracts.
g. Certifications and Representations (Section K): For FAR-based contracts, a completed
Section K may due with the proposal. A Section K may be attached to solicitations
issued under this MAA. Offerors may also be required to submit updated or supplemental
Certifications and Representations based on the specifics of their proposal.
h. Cost Element Breakdown: Clear, concise, and accurate cost proposals reflect the
offeror's financial plan for accomplishing the effort contained in the technical proposal.
As a part of its cost proposal, the offeror shall submit the information outlined below,
together with supporting breakdowns. All direct costs (labor, material, travel, computer,
etc.) as well as labor and overhead rates should be provided by contractor fiscal year
(CFY). Detailed cost element breakdowns by Government Fiscal Year or calendar year
are not required. The supporting schedules may include summary level estimating
rationale used to generate the proposed costs. The cost element breakdown should
include the following if applicable.
1) Direct Labor: Direct labor should be detailed by number of labor hours by
category of labor.
2) Labor and Overhead Rates: Direct labor hours, with their applicable rates,
must be broken out and the bases used clearly identified. The source of labor
and overhead rates and all pricing factors should be identified. For instance, if
a Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA) is in existence, that should be
noted, along with the Administrative Contracting Officer’s (ACO's) name and
telephone number. If the rates are based on current experience in your
organization, provide the historical base used and clearly identify all
escalation, by year, applied to derive the proposed rates. If computer usage is
determined by a rate, identify the basis used and rationale used to derive the
rate.
3) Material/Equipment: List all material/equipment items by type and kind
with associated costs and advise if the costs are based on vendor quotes, data
and/or engineering estimates; provide copies of vendor quotes and/or catalog
pricing data.
4) Subcontractor Costs: Submit all subcontractor proposals and analyses with
your cost proposal (See FAR 15.404-3(b)). If the subcontractor will not
submit cost and pricing information to the offeror, this information must be
submitted directly to AFRL/RH or USAFSAM for analysis. On all
subcontracts and interdivisional transfers, provide the method of selection
used to determine the subcontractor and the proposed contract type of each
subcontract. An explanation shall be provided if the offeror proposes a
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different amount than that quoted by the subcontractor. The offeror’s proposal
must:
i. Identify principal items/services to be subcontracted.
ii. Identify prospective subcontractors and the basis on which they were
selected. If non-competitive, provide selected source justification.
iii. Identify the type of contractual business arrangement contemplated for
the subcontract and provide rationale.
iv. Identify the basis for the subcontract costs (e.g., firm quote or
engineering estimate, etc.).
v. Identify the cost or pricing data submitted by the subcontractor.
vi. Provide an analysis of the proposed subcontract in accordance with
FAR 15.404-3(b). Provide an analysis concerning the reasonableness,
realism and completeness of each subcontractor’s proposal. If the
analysis is based on comparison with prior prices, identify the basis on
which the prior prices were determined to be reasonable. The analysis
should include, but not be limited to, an analysis of: materials, labor,
travel, other direct costs and proposed profit or fee rates.
5) Special Tooling or Test Equipment: When special tooling, and/or test
equipment is proposed, attach a brief description of items and indicate if they
are solely for the performance of this particular contract or project and if they
are or are not already available in the offeror's existing facilities. Indicate
quantities, unit prices, whether items are to be purchased or fabricated,
whether items are of a severable nature and the basis of the price. Identify
items that have a lead time 60 calendar days or more. These items may be
included under Direct Material in the summary format.
6) Consultants: When consultants are proposed to be used in the performance of
the contract, indicate the specific project or area in which such services are to
be used. Identify each consultant, number of hours or days to be used and the
consultant's rate per hour or day. State the basis of said rate and give your
analysis of the acceptability of the consultant's rate.
7) Travel: Travel costs must be justified and related to the needs of the project.
Identify the number of trips, the destination and purpose. Travel costs should
be broken out by trip with number of travelers, airfare, per diem, lodging, etc.
8) Computer Use: Detail the amount and kind of computer usage, the cost, and
how the costs were derived.
9) Facilities Capital Cost of Money: If Facilities Capital Cost of Money is
proposed, a properly executed DD Form 1861 is required.
10) Project Funding Profile: Offerors should include a project funding profile by
Government Fiscal Year (GFY) (1 Oct through 30 Sept) for budgetary
purposes. This will enable AFRL/RH or USAFSAM to easily identify
program funding needs by GFY.
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i. If an offeror takes exceptions to the requirements called out in the MAA or applicable
Solicitation (e.g., base support, Government-furnished property (GFP), CDRLs), the
exceptions should be clearly stated in the cost proposal.
j. Forward Pricing Rate Agreements: Offerors who have forward pricing rate agreements
(FPRA’s) should submit them with their proposal.
k. Cost/Business proposals have no page limitations.
l. Proposal Content Summary: You may be ineligible for award if all requirements of the
MAA and applicable solicitation are not met on the due date or closing date.
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CHAPTER 5: REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCEDURES
1. White Paper Peer or Scientific Review Criteria: AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will review
White Papers to determine which of them have the potential to best meet AFRL/RH or
USAFSAM’s needs based on the following criteria, which are listed in descending order of
importance, unless specifically stated otherwise in the Solicitation:
a. Unique and innovative approach proposed to accomplish the technical objectives.
New and creative solutions and/or advances in knowledge, understanding,
technology, and the state of the art.
b. The offeror’s understanding of the scope of the technical effort.
c. Soundness of the offeror’s technical approach.
d. Affordability (Proposed ROM Cost Estimate).
2. Proposal Peer or Scientific Review Criteria: Proposals will be reviewed against the
criteria listed below. The technical aspect, which is ranked as the first order of priority, shall
be reviewed based on the following criteria that are of descending order of importance,
unless specifically stated otherwise in the solicitation.
a. Technical:
1) Unique and innovative approach proposed to accomplish the technical
objectives. New and creative solutions and/or advances in knowledge,
understanding, technology, and the state of the art.
2) The offeror’s understanding of the scope of the technical effort.
3) Soundness of the offeror’s technical approach including whether the proposal
identifies major technical risks, clearly defines feasible mitigation efforts, and
demonstrates related experience and qualifications of technical personnel.
4) The potential to transition the research and development deliverables to future
Government needs. Any proposed restriction on technical data or computer
software will be considered.
b. Cost/Price: The cost/price criterion includes the realism of the proposed cost.
Cost/Price is a substantial factor, but ranked as the second order of priority. (If an
offeror proposes the use of GFP other than any GFP identified in the Solicitation, and
that proposed GFP provides the offeror an unfair competitive advantage, then FAR
45.202 requires rental equivalent be applied to the Cost Factor for evaluation
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purposes only).
3. Review and Selection Process:
a. Based on the Peer or Scientific Review, proposals will be categorized as Selectable or
Not Selectable (see definitions below). The selection of one or more sources for
award will be based on the Peer or Scientific Review, as well as importance to agency
programs and funding availability.
Selectable: Proposals are recommended for acceptance if sufficient funding is
available.
Not Selectable: Even if sufficient funding existed, the proposal should not be
funded.
Note: AFRL/RH or USAFSAM reserves the right to award some, all, or none of
proposals. When AFRL/RH or USAFSAM elects to award only a part of a
proposal, the selected part may be categorized as Selectable, though the proposal
as a whole may not merit such a categorization.
b. No other criteria will be used.
c. Prior to award of a potentially successful offer, the Contracting Officer will make a
determination regarding price reasonableness.
d. AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will conduct a S&T Protection Initial Risk Review only
for those proposals categorized as Selectable and selected for funding and
negotiations. In the event a security risk is identified, and the Government has
determined the security risk exceeds the acceptable threshold, the Applicant/Offeror
will be notified and informed of the decline of award. The Government will provide as
much rationale for the decision as Government OPSEC measures allow for. Challenges
under awards made solely for Fundamental Research shall follow the OSD R&E
Memorandum dated 6 June 2023. Challenges under any other type of award shall
follow the Ombudsman procedures.
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CHAPTER 6: ADDITIONAL FAR-BASED REQUIREMENTS
1. This MAA and subsequent FAR-based Solicitations incorporate FAR and supplement
provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses can be found
at Acquisition.gov.
2. Item Unique Identification and Valuation: It is DoD policy that contractors shall be
required to identify the Government’s unit acquisition cost for all deliverable end items
for which Item Unique Identification applies. Therefore, proposals must clearly break
out the unit acquisition cost for any deliverable items. See DFARS 211.274-3, Policy for
Valuation, for more information. (Per DoD, “fully burdened unit costs” to the
Government would include all direct, indirect, G&A costs, and an appropriate portion of
fee).
3. Reserved
4. Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters: Any
contract award that exceeds $600,000; and when offeror checked “has” in paragraph (b)
of the provision FAR 52.209-7, shall contain the clause, FAR 52.209-9, “Updates of
Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters.”
5. If Adequate Price Competition (APC) is not contemplated by Solicitation: Offerors
are required to submit the completed provision at DFARS 252.215-7009 Proposal
Adequacy Checklist with their proposal if Certified Cost or Pricing Data is required.
6. Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS): May apply to
FAR-based awards resulting from solicitations under this MAA. Solicitations will
identify applicability. If applicable, interim and final evaluations of contractor
performance for contract awards will be prepared in accordance with DAFFARS
5342.1503. The final performance evaluation will be prepared at the time of completion
of work. In addition to the final evaluation, interim evaluation(s) will be prepared
annually. For FAR 16.5 Awards, CPARS may be conducted per task order. Awardees will
be requested to provide a POC to receive notifications of the opportunity to provide
feedback. The contractor will be permitted 14 days to review the document and to submit
additional information or a rebutting statement. If agreement cannot be reached between
the parties, the matter will be referred to an individual one level above the Contracting
Officer, whose decision will be final. Copies of the assessments, contractor responses,
and review comments, if any, will be retained as part of the contract file, and may be used
to support future award decisions for other procurements.
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CHAPTER 7: ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE INSTRUMENT REQUIREMENTS
1. Legal Requirements: Each effort will be governed by the general terms and conditions in
effect at the time of the award that conform to the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s)
implementation of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance applicable to
financial assistance, as follows:
a. For Universities and Non-Profit Entities: These terms and conditions are identified
in Parts 1125 through 1138 of the DoDGARS (2 CFR Parts 1126 through 1138, which
comprise 2 CFR 1100 Subchapter D).
b. For For-Profit Entities: Requirements to be included in the general terms and
conditions are identified in Part 34 of the DODGARS (32 CFR Part 34).
c. For All Entities: National Policy Requirements are identified in Part 1122 of the
DoDGARS (2 CFR Part 1122).
d. For further information, please refer the DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions
and the AFRL Addendum to the DoD R&D General Terms and Conditions and AFRL
Award-Specific Terms and Conditions.
2. Supplemental Instructions for Assistance Instrument Proposals
i. Standard Form (SF) 424 (R&R) and S&T Protection Required Forms:
1) Cover Page: All proposals for assistance, whether submitted electronically or
in hard copy must include an SF 424 (R&R) (Application for Federal
Assistance) form as the cover page.
2) STEM: To evaluate compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments
of 1972 {20 U.S.C. A§ 1681 Et. Seq.), the Department of Defense is
collecting certain demographic and career information to be able to assess the
success rates of women who are proposed for key roles in applications in
STEM disciplines, consequently a SF 424 Research & Related Senior and
Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form (MAA Appendix 1) and a Research &
Related Personal Data Form must also be submitted.
a) SF 424 Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile
(Expanded) Form: For this form, the Degree Type and Degree Year fields
will be used by DoD as the source for career information. In addition to the
required fields on the form, applicants must complete these two fields for all
individuals that are identified as having the project role of PD/Pl or Co-PD/Pl.
Additional senior/key persons can be added by selecting the "Next Person"
button.
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b) Research and Related Personal Data Form: 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 lnvestigator(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 lnvestigator(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.
c) S&T Protection Required Documents: In accordance with AFRL 61-
113, S&T Protection, the following additional documents are required to be
submitted with grant/cooperative agreement applications/proposals:
1. SF 424 Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile (Expanded) (MAA
Appendix 1); AND
2. Security Program Questionnaire (MAA Appendix 2); AND
3. “Privacy Act Statement” consent form for each Covered Individual that is
also signed by the Applicant/Offeror as the Individual’s Sponsor (MAA
Appendix 4). See also Chapter 3.
3) For Institutions of Higher Education Applicants: The National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2019, Section 1286, pages 443-445,
directs the Secretary of Defense to support protection of intellectual property,
controlled information, key personnel, and information about critical
technologies relevant to national security; and to limit undue influence,
including through foreign talent programs, by countries to exploit United
States technology within the Department of Defense research, science and
technology, and innovation enterprise when an institution of higher education
is the applicant for defense research and engineering activities under a grant,
cooperative agreement, or in the case of a technology investment agreement as
a member of a consortium.
Applicants shall submit the information below for all key personnel (defined
as all individuals who contribute in a substantive, measurable, and meaningful
way to the scientific development or execution of the project) on the Research
& Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form:
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• 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.
This information will be used to support protection of intellectual property,
controlled information, key personnel, and information about critical
technologies relevant to national security and will be used to 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.
Failure to submit this information may cause the proposal to be returned
without further review, and DoD reserves the right to request further details
from an applicant before making a final determination on funding the effort.
This information does not count towards the overall proposal page limits in
the MAA Section 4.4.2.
ii. System Award Management: To apply for grants and other funding opportunities
the applicant entity must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).
Proposals will not be accepted through Grants.gov or other methods unless the entity
is registered in SAM.
iii. Certifications:
A) SAM: SAM is the central repository for common Government-wide financial
assistance certifications and representations. Registration in SAM includes the
acceptance of Certifications and Assurances. SAM may be accessed at:
https://SAM.gov. The Financial Assistance Certifications Report is an attestation
that the entity will abide by the requirements of the various laws and regulations;
therefore, as applicable, you are still required to submit any documentation,
including the SF LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable), and
informing DoD of unpaid delinquent tax liability or a felony conviction under any
Federal law. (Note: Grant offices should include any other requirements, such as
IRB certifications.) Note: Be mindful the solicitation may include other
requirements.
B) Note to Agreements/Grants Officer: In the rare event that additional
certification(s) or representation(s) are required (beyond those identified in SAM)
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due to law or regulations, specific DoD program needs, or as necessary to conduct
business, you may add them as warranted by adding them as an attachment to the
funding opportunity. For example, this will likely be necessary for Title III
programs. If doing so, add the following statement here, or preface the
Certification(s) or Representation(s) Attachment with the following statement:
“This program contains unique certifications and representations not identified in
the SAM repository and are included as an attachment to this funding opportunity.
By checking “I Agree” on the SF 424 Block 21 or the SF 424 (R&R) block 17
you agree to abide by the following statement: By signing this application, I
certify (1) to the statements contained in the list of certifications and (2) that the
statements herein are true, complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I
also provide the required assurances and agree to comply with any resulting terms
if I accept an award. I am aware that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements
or claims may subject me to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties. (U.S.
Code, Title 218, Section 1001).
iv. Grants.gov Submission:
1) Electronic Delivery: DoD is participating in the Grants.gov initiative to
provide the grant community with a single site to find and apply for grant
funding opportunities. In addition to submitting in accordance with
instructions provided in an individual solicitation, offeror’s submitting an
assistance instrument proposal may choose to also submit electronically
through Grants.gov.
2) Applications in Grants.gov: If you are submitting an assistance instrument
proposal, you may do so electronically through Grants.gov, in addition to
submitting in accordance with BAA Section IV Paragraph 2.a.iv., but you are
not required to submit via Grants.gov. (The CO may request an email from the
offeror be submitted notifying the Contracting POC when a proposal is
submitted electronically via Grants.gov.) If submitting through Grants.gov,
detailed application submission and receipt instructions are contained on the
Grants.gov website at https://grants.gov. The following includes a summary of
those instructions but it is very important to view the complete instructions at
https://grants.gov.
1. How to Register to Apply through Grants.gov
A) Summary: Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and
prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process.
Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the
registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.
Organizations must have an active SAM registration, and Grants.gov account to
apply for grants and other funding opportunities. Creating a Grants.gov account
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can be completed online in minutes, but SAM registrations may take additional
time. Therefore, an organization's registration should be done in sufficient time to
ensure it does not impact the entity's ability to meet required application
submission deadlines. Note: Go to the “Search Grants” tab on the grants.gov
website to find the assistance opportunity
B) Instructions: Applicants can find complete instructions at: https://grants.gov.
Under the “Applicants” drop down menu the following information can be found:
How to Apply for Grants; Track My Application; Applicant Resources;
Workspace Overview; Applicant Eligibility; Applicant Registration; Applicant
Training; Applicant FAQs; etc. The following are some highlights from the
information that can be found on the website.
3) Organizations Must Register with SAM.gov and Grants.gov:
A) SAM.gov: SAM.gov is a government-wide registry for organizations doing
business with the Federal government. SAM.gov centralizes information about
grant recipients and provides a central location for grant recipients to change
organizational information. Grants.gov uses SAM.gov to establish organizational
authority for its users and to provide Unique Entity Identification (UEI) numbers.
Applicants must register with SAM.gov to obtain a UEI. This is assigned to all
entities to do business with the Federal Government. Organizations will also need
to designate an E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC). SAM registration must
be renewed annually.
B) Grants.gov: After obtaining the UEI for the organization from SAM.gov,
applicants must return to Grants.gov to continue registration. Your organization’s
EBiz POC must:
i. Create a Grants.gov account with the same email address as
used in SAM.gov for the EBiz POC, and
ii. Add a profile with Grants.gov using the UEI obtained from
SAM.gov.
2) Workspace Overview/Submitting an Application via Grants.gov: Workspace is
the standard way for organizations to apply for federal grants in Grants.gov.
Workspace allows a grant team to simultaneously access and edit different
forms within an application. Plus, the forms can be filled out online or offline.
For instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to the Grant.gov
website mentioned above. There are various training videos available to assist
you.
A) Submit an Application via Workspace: An application may be submitted through
workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace
page. 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
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technical issues that may disrupt the application submission.
B) Track an Application via Workspace: After successfully submitting a workspace
package, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is
automatically assigned to the package. 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.
3) Training Resources: For additional training resources, including video tutorials,
refer to the Applicants Training tab under the Applicants Drop Down menu on
the Grant.gov site.
4) 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 DoD with tracking your issue and understanding background information
on the issue.
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CHAPTER 8: ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR OTHER TRANSACTIONS
(OTs) UNDER 10 USC §4021, §4022, and §4023
1. Solicitations that contemplate the use of the authorities described in this Chapter will, at a
minimum, generally describe AFRL/RH or USAFSAM’s problem, provide instructions (and,
if applicable, the criteria for determining success), and any known terms of the award. In
order to leverage industry innovation, AFRL/RH or USAFSAM generally will not prescribe
an approach or include technical requirements that are premised upon a particular approach.
2. Negotiation: Depending on where the project falls on the research, prototype, and production
spectrum, the ability to establish firm cost, schedule, and performance requirements will vary
from best effort to clearly identifiable and enforceable fixed requirements. In negotiating
terms, AFRL/RH or USAFSAM may consider the following:
a. Price Reasonableness: Price reasonableness is a key consideration prior to award. The
AFRL/RH or USAFSAM team may obtain and consider, among other data, commercial
pricing data, market data, parametric data, or cost information. Alternative Authorities
can be leveraged as a mechanism to do business with organizations that might otherwise
not do business with AFRL/RH or USAFSAM, specifically Non-Traditional Defense
Contracts (NDCs). NDCs generally do not capture cost data, and providing cost data to
the Government is frequently cited as a deterrent to contracting with the Government, the
Agreements Officer (AO) should exhaust other means to establish price reasonableness
before resorting to requesting cost information from any offeror submitting a proposal
under an Alternate Authority.
b. Intellectual Property (IP) Considerations: IP is an important part of planning and
implementing OTs and AFRL/RH or USAFSAM has greater flexibility to negotiate IP
terms for OTs than in FAR contracts.
c. Physical Property Considerations: AFRL/RH or USAFSAM is not required to, and
generally should not, take title to physical property acquired or produced by a private
party signatory to an OT, except property the OT identifies as a deliverable. If AFRL/RH
or USAFSAM takes title to property or furnishes Government property, then the property
is subject to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, and at a minimum, the
OT terms should include the following:
1) A list of property to which the AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will obtain title and when
title will transfer to the AFRL/RH or USAFSAM;
2) Whether the performer or the AFRL/RH or USAFSAM is responsible for
maintenance, repair, or replacement;
3) Whether the performer or the AFRL/RH or USAFSAM is liable for loss, theft,
destruction of, or damage to the property; or
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4) Whether the performer or AFRL/RH or USAFSAM is liable for loss or damage
resulting from use of the property.
5) The procedures for accounting for, controlling, and disposing of the property.
Generally, when the performer is an NDC, the company's commercial property
control system should be used to account for Government property;
6) What guarantees (if any) AFRL/RH or USAFSAM makes regarding the
property’s suitability for its intended use, the condition in which the property
should be returned, and any limitations on how or the time the property may be
used;
7) A list of Government-owned property that will be provided during the
performance of the OT in accordance with the Federal Property and
Administrative Services Act. The Government Furnished Property (GFP)
attachment within the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE)
GFP Module (https://piee.eb.mil/piee-landing/) is a tool to ensure accountability
of GFP and to enable reuse of data by AFRL/RH or USAFSAM and the
performer. The GFP Module should also be used to conduct performer reporting
of receipt, shipment, transfer, and loss of GFP on OTs; and
8) When the performer has title to property that will be factored into the resource
share amount, the performer and AFRL/RH or USAFSAM should agree on the
method for determining the value of the property.
d. Disclosure and Security: Certain types of information submitted during solicitation and
award of an OT are exempt from disclosure requirements of 5 U.S.C. §552, the Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA), for a period of five years from the date AFRL/RH or
USAFSAM receives the information. Specifically, 10 U.S.C. §4021(i), as amended,
provides that disclosure of this type of information is not required, and may not be
compelled, under FOIA during that period if a party submits the information in a
competitive or noncompetitive process having the potential for an award of an OT. Such
information includes the following:
1) A proposal, proposal abstract, and supporting documents;
2) A business plan submitted on a business proprietary basis; and
3) Technical information submitted on a controlled basis as outlined in DoDI
5230.24, Distribution Statements on Technical Documents.
e. Accounting Systems: When structuring the OT agreement for an expenditure-based or
resource-shared type project, AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will consider the capability of the
performer’s accounting system. Generally, AFRL/RH or USAFSAM will not enter into
an OT that provides for payment based on amounts generated from the performer’s
financial or cost records if the performer does not have an accounting system capable of
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complying with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP); the performer’s
accounting system should have effective controls over all project funds, including Federal
funds and any required resource share. The system should have complete, accurate, and
current records that document the sources of funds and the purposes for which they are
disbursed. It should also have procedures for ensuring that project funds are used only for
purposes permitted by the OT terms. When the performer is currently performing under
other expenditure-based Federal procurement contracts or assistance awards, AFRL/RH
or USAFSAM will consider language that requires the performer to be subject to the
same standards for financial management/accounting systems that apply to those other
awards. DCAA and DCMA are available to provide information on the status of a
prospective awardee’s accounting system.
f. Entity Registration: Prior to being awarded an OT, an awardee must be fully registered
in SAM. Additionally, under a consortium OT award, each member serving as the
primary performer on an award must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM
and provide it to AFRL/RH or USAFSAM for reporting for any orders underneath the
OT. The registrant should choose the registration reason “I want to be able to bid on
federal contracts or other procurement opportunities. I also want to be able to apply for
grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs.” This covers all procurement and
other transactions contemplated under this MAA. This registration is necessary to ensure
compliance with, at a minimum, with the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, the
Federal Funding Accountability and Traceability Act of 2008, and the Digital
Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014; as well as enables efficient processing of
performer invoices and payments. Registration will result in the assignment of a
Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code that is required for identification of
the performer in many DoD systems.
3. 10 U.S.C. 4021 – Research projects: Transactions other than contracts & grants (Other
Transaction for Research (OTR)): Authorized for basic, applied, and advanced research
projects. These OTs are intended to spur dual-use research and development (R&D), taking
advantage of economies of scale without burdening companies with Government regulatory
overhead, which would make them non-competitive in the commercial (non-defense) sector.
Traditional defense contractors are also encouraged to engage in Research OTs, particularly
if they seek to adopt commercial practices or standards, diversify into the commercial sector,
or partner with NDCs. The OSD R&E is responsible for promulgation of policy and
guidance for Research OTs. OUSD(R&E) issued a Guide to Research Other Transactions
under 10 U.S.C. 4021 which includes advice and best practices on planning, publicizing,
soliciting, evaluating, negotiating, awarding and administering Research OTs. Guidance
below is derived from that Guide:
a. To be eligible to receive an OTR, an offeror’s proposal must satisfy the following
requirements:
1) The focus of the project is basic, applied, or advanced research.
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2) To the maximum extent practicable, the research contemplated in the instant
project does not duplicate research being done under other DoD programs.
3) To the maximum extent practicable, the funds from the Government do not
exceed the total amount provided by the other parties. This resource-sharing
requirement is intended to highlight the dual use focus of this authority and show
commitment on the part of the performing team to pursue and/or commercialize
the technology in the future. While the default position in the statute is generally a
50-50 resource share, the final amount of the share should be based on full
consideration of factors such as the performing partner’s resources, prior
investment in the technology, commercial versus military relevance, unusual
performance risk, and precompetitive nature of the project.
4. 10 U.S.C. 4022 – Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype
projects (Other Transaction for Prototype (OTP)): Authorized to acquire prototype
capabilities and allow for those prototypes to transition into Production OTs. Both dual-use
and defense-specific projects are encouraged under section 4022. Per statute, successful
Prototype OTs offer a streamlined method for transitioning into follow-on production without
further competition. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and
Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) is responsible for promulgation of policy and guidance for
Prototype and Production OTs. OUSD(A&S) issued a Guide to Other Transactions which
focuses on lessons learned on the planning, publicizing, soliciting, evaluating, negotiation,
award, and administration of prototype and production OTs. Guidance below is derived from
that Guide:
a. To be eligible to receive an OTP, an offeror’s proposal must satisfy the following
requirements:
1) The project includes a prototype per the statute and the transaction will “carry
out prototype projects “that are directly relevant” to enhancing the mission
effectiveness of personnel of the Department of Defense or improving
platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or
developed by the Department of Defense, or to improvement of platforms,
systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces…”.
2) Per the DoD OT Guide referenced above, the definition of a "prototype
project" in the context of an OT is as follows:
i. A prototype project addresses a proof of concept, model, (B) Reverse
engineering to address obsolescence, (C) A pilot or novel application of
commercial technologies for defense purposes, (D) agile development
activity, (E) the creation, design, development, demonstration of
technical or operational utility, or (F) combinations of the foregoing. A
process, including a business process, may be the subject of a prototype
project.
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Although assistance terms are generally not appropriate in OT
agreements, ancillary work efforts that are necessary for completion of the
prototype project, such as test site training or limited logistics support,
may be included in prototype projects. A prototype may be physical,
virtual, or conceptual in nature. A prototype project may be fully funded
by DoD, jointly funded by multiple federal agencies, cost-shared, funded
in whole or part by third parties, or involve a mutual commitment of
resources other than an exchange of funds.
3) The Prototype OT satisfies at least one of the following conditions:
i. There is at least one NDC or non-profit research institution participating
to a significant extent in the prototype project.
ii. All significant participants in the transaction other than the Federal
Government are small businesses, including those participating in the
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business
Technology Transfer programs, or NDCs.
iii. At least one-third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid
out of funds provided by parties other than the Federal Government.
iv. The SPE for the agency determines in writing that exceptional
circumstances justify the use of a transaction that provides for
innovative business arrangements or structures that would not be
feasible or appropriate under a contract or would provide an opportunity
to expand the defense supply base in a manner that would not be
practical or feasible under a contract.
4) OTs awarded under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 4022 are considered Federal
agency procurements and are subject to the ethics requirements of the
Procurement Integrity Act in Chapter 21 of Title 41, U.S.C. (PIA).
5. 10 U.S.C. 4023 – Procurement for Experimental Purposes: Authorized to acquire
quantities necessary for experimentation, technical evaluation, assessment of operational
utility, or to maintain a residual operational capability. This authority can result in a FAR-
based contract, or an other transaction (prototype or research), or an other transaction-like
agreement. This authority currently allows for acquisitions in the following nine areas:
36

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a. Proposals submitted under solicitations issued using the authority of 10 USC 4023
should specifically identify the following:
1) Identify the selected instrument authority
2) A description of the item(s) to be purchased and dollar amount of purchase;
3) A description of the method of test/experimentation;
4) The quantity to be tested;
5) A description tying the proposed test/experimentation approach to the applicable
allowable area identified in above.
37

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RH SOO

FA2384-24-S-2233,
Amendment 01
Attachment 2
Continuing Human Enabling, Enhancing, Restoring, and Sustaining
(CHEERS) Multiple Authority Announcement (MAA) Technical
Requirements - Statement of Objectives (SOO)
AFRL/RH
1.0 Background
The Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Human Effectiveness Directorate (RH) is a key component
of the 711th Human Performance Wing (711HPW). The directorate is composed of a diverse group of
scientists and engineers studying developing technologies specific to the human element of warfighting
capability. AFRL/RH is leading the United States Air Force (USAF) in its human-centered research, and
integrating biological and cognitive technologies to optimize and protect the Airman's capabilities to Fly,
Fight, and Win in Air, Space, and Cyberspace.
2.0 Scope
The Human Effectiveness Directorate (RH) is the heart of Airman-centered science and technology for
the USAF. RH is focused on enduring challenges to enable, sustain, and enhance multi-domain capable
Airman and Airman-machine operations. RH leverages five primary Technical Competencies to deliver
technology options for future USAF capabilities: Training, Adaptive Warfighter Interfaces, Bioeffects,
Bioengineering and Warfighter Medical Optimization.
RH develops Airman-related technology for systems crucial to continued aerospace superiority. The
Directorate works to transfer the same or similar technology to civilian applications when appropriate.
RH is organized into three divisions located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and Joint Base San
Antonio, Texas.
• Airman Biosciences (RHB): Discover, demonstrate, and transition knowledge products and
technology solutions from the full spectrum of bioscience, biotechnology and aerospace
medicine, to enable, enhance, sustain, and restore the health and performance of the multi-
domain Airman.
• Bioeffects (RHD): Protects against and exploits the bioeffects of battlefield environmental
stressors.
• Warfighter Interactions & Readiness (RHW): Enable a more informed, agile, and lethal force
by delivering revolutionary capabilities that enhance preparation and mission execution across
the full range of military operations.
3.0 Technical Requirements
Activities within the 711HPW are organized into research areas which are categorized based on the
technology readiness level (TRL). Product lines focus on advanced technology development and
identifying paths for technology transition while the CTC’s and CRA’s focus on basic research through
early applied research. Each division further breaks down the research into Lines of Effort (LoE) or
Product Area (PA) for each CTC or PL, respectively. Descriptors of PL, CTC and CRA are provided
below:
• Product Line (PL): An organizational construct within the Human Effectiveness Directorate for
engineering and transition of technology to the Department of the Air Force and Department of
Defense. A Product Line organizes and manages inter-related technology demonstrations and
transition paths for Human Effectiveness Directorate technologies at late applied and advanced

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
Amendment 01
Attachment 2
technology development stages. The product line may integrate research and engineering tasks
across several CTCs within AFRL.
• Core Technical Competency (CTC): CTCs represent the technical foundation that is difficult to
duplicate and allows AFRL to provide unique technical leadership. They span basic research,
applied research, and advanced technology development encompassing the people,
information, facilities, equipment, and programs allowing AFRL to solve critical AF and national
security problems.
• Core Research Area (CRA): A subset of the Core Technical Competencies within the Human
Effectiveness Directorate. CRAs represent a focused group of basic and early applied research,
focused on investigating revolutionary, higher risk concepts. The CRAs mature new foundational
technologies and transition promising research to product lines of the organization.
Submitted white papers and/or proposals should target specific research challenges within the
Product Line (PL), Core Technical Competency (CTC) and/or Core Research Areas (CRA) and
exactly identify the technical requirement(s) (by nomenclature below) to which the white
paper/proposal aligns.
3.1 Airman Biosciences (RHB)
3.1.1 RHB Product Line (PL) & Product Area (PA)
3.1.1.1 Aerospace & Operational Medicine PL1: Matures and transitions aeromedical
knowledge, technology, and materiel solutions in force health protection, human
health and performance, and aeromedical evacuation & enroute care in order to enable,
sustain, enhance, and restore operational and aeromedical health and human
performance for Airmen executing Air Force missions across all operational domains.
Objectives focus on generating high performance Airmen and Guardians through
medical availability, enhancing joint combatant commander capabilities, and
maximizing human capital and strategic resources by aligning resources to strategic
and workforce development. The goal is to transition products that address validated
AF/AFMS requirements by focusing on stakeholder engagement to ensure clear
demand signals and to create and maintain extensive partnership network to ensure
rapid execution and flexibility.
3.1.1.1.1 Air & Space Austere Environment Patient Transport (En Route Care)
PA1: Advances combat casualty care in the air through biomedical research
into interventional strategies and technologies that mitigate the risks for
additional insult due to aeromedical evacuation. Transitions promising
Science and Technology (S&T) into knowledge and material products that
promote the recovery and return to duty of injured or ill service members, from
point of injury back to definitive care. Research within this program includes
but is not limited to ground medical operations in agile combat employment,
autonomous care of patient movement, and optimization of patient movement.
3.1.1.1.2 Air & Space Force Health Protection (FHP) PA2: Medical development and
biomedical technology investments seek to deliver an improved FHP
capability across the full spectrum of operations with research that prevents
injury/ illness through improved identification and control of health risks. Under
FHP, sub- project areas include Occupational Hazard Exposure (Includes
Flight Hazards and Integrated Risk), Targeted Risk Identification, Mitigation
and Treatment (Formerly Pathogen ID and Novel Therapeutics and includes
Big Data), FHP Technologies Development and Assessment (Assay and

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
Amendment 01
Attachment 2
disease detection), and Health Surveillance, Infection, Injury & Immunity. FHP
also includes Innovations and Personalized Medicine. Operational medicine
is focused on in garrison care – our next most critical issue post OIF/OEF –
and how to care for the whole patient and consideration of comorbidities in
treatment of wounded warriors and dependents.
3.1.1.2 Biotechnology for Performance, Research, and Demonstration PL2: Develops
and delivers capabilities to enhance human performance in near-peer conflict.
Objectives focus on modular systems that integrate with warfighting platforms and
maintaining and enhancing end-user engagement to ensure relevance and realism all
while working in close sync with DoD and external partners to deliver high value
solutions. The goal is to build momentum for Wearable technology, continue to develop
and advocate for human assessment & tracking, strategically plan for product usage in
austere environments, and expand on current platform products to develop and
connect capabilities with operational challenges.
3.1.1.2.1 Airman Sensing & Assessment PA1: Develop and demonstrate advanced
prototype products that integrate physiological, cognitive, behavioral, and
environmental sensing capabilities with validated analytics, assessments, and
intervention capabilities to sustain and enhance air and space operator
performance.
3.1.1.2.2 Human Performance Augmentation & Development PA2: Develop and
deliver capabilities to enhance human performance in near-peer conflict by
focusing on modular systems that integrate with warfighting platforms.
Working in close sync with DoD and external partners to deliver high value
solutions to maintain and enhance end-user engagement to ensure relevance
and realism.
3.1.1.2.3 Air & Space Physiology, Medicine, and Human Performance (HP) PA3:
Enables, sustains, and optimizes performance of Airmen through elevation
and alleviation of health effects associated with AF operational missions.
Addresses operational environments such as the mitigation of stress in AF
personnel, to include aircrew, care providers, aircraft maintainers,
intelligence, surveillance and cyber operators, as well as remote piloted
aircraft operators. Research within this project includes but is not limited to
airman performance and readiness, advancing air and space medicine, and
medical operator performance digital engineering. Advanced technology
development to enable, sustain, and optimize cognitive, behavior and
physiologic performance in high- priority career fields for the United States Air
Force (USAF) and in multidomain operations. The sub-project areas include
cognitive and physiologic performance under operational and environmental
stressors, detection and improvement of physiological performance, and
safety via sensor systems and targeted conditioning, which includes training
techniques for optimal performance. This project also develops and
demonstrates technologies which ingest health status monitoring data to
provide scalable situational awareness of individual, unit, and group medical
readiness in support of command and control and develops strategies to
mitigate performance limitations through physical, pharmacological/non-
pharmacological, or behavioral medical interventions and/or technological
augmentation.
3.1.2 RHB Core Technical Competencies (CTC), Critical Research Areas (CRA) & Lines
of Effort (LOE)

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
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Attachment 2
3.1.2.1 Medical and Operational Biosciences CTC1: Develops, validates, and enhances
medical and operational biosciences and emergent biotechnologies for transition into
advanced development products in the Air and Space operational environment to lead
to a highly resilient and medically ready force. These products can sense, assess,
sustain, and segment warfighter physiological-cognitive performance in multi-domain
operations. Deliverables will be enhancing and researching new technologies and
concepts to sustain, augment, and restore the multi-domain Airman & Guardian Health
and Performance. Customers, end-users, and stakeholders include the DHP and DAF
6.3 programs and product lines: Human Performance/Medical Readiness, Force
Health Protection, and En Route Care as some of the primary users.
3.1.2.1.1 Biotechnology for Health and Performance CRA1: The Biotechnology for
Health and Performance CRA utilizes multivariant, systems biology
approaches to provide advanced science and technology solutions to
understand the warfighter’s biologic state and the underlying mechanism of
responses with the goal of enabling, enhancing, and sustaining the human's
ability to dominate air, space and cyberspace.
3.1.2.1.2 Applied Cognitive Neurosciences CRA2: Develops and validates
technologies in cognitive neuroscience and physical performance to sustain,
augment, and recover operator performance and determine medical
attributes/metrics for optimal career field alignment.
3.1.2.1.3 Health and Performance Sensing and Assessment CRA3: Develops
sensing technologies in a variety of form factors to identify, validate and
monitor human signatures related to Airmen's and Guardians’ health,
exposures and physical/cognitive performance in their associated
environments. The research from this CRA will develop sensing solutions
optimized for real-time, non- invasive and autonomous sensing and assessing
capabilities to enhance and protect Airmen and Guardians in a variety of
operational environments.
3.1.2.1.4 Biomedical Impact of Air and Space CRA4: Conducts research
investigating Airman and Guardian performance degradation resulting from
exposure to air and space environments and seek understanding the
fundamental mechanisms driving environmental and operational risks.
Develop technologies to mitigate or eliminate the root physiologic causes of
these degradations and to ultimately optimize Airman and Guardian
performance resulting in the capability to fly faster, higher, and longer than
our adversaries.
3.2 Bioeffects (RHD)
3.2.1 RHD Product Line (PL)
3.2.1.1 Bioeffects PL: Creates and demonstrates developmental technology & tools to
generate products/applications. These products provide optimized design
requirements for weapon systems & personal protection device developers, risk and
collateral hazard assessments for directed energy systems, and analysis libraries for
the representation of humans as part of model-based systems engineering
approaches and within engineering-level models of system performance, informing
overall system performance impacts and adding fidelity to concepts in wargames.
Approaches include the integration of components in engagement and mission-level
simulation tools within USAF and DoD software architectures, and model-based

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
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Attachment 2
systems engineering artifacts to enable future integration and technology transition.
Key technologies include directed energy bioeffects systems characterization and risk
assessment, directed energy bioeffects components of modeling and simulation tools,
and human representation in digital engineering.
3.2.2 RHD Core Technical Competencies (CTC), Critical Research Areas (CRA) & Lines
of Effort (LOE)
3.2.2.1 Bioeffects CTC1: The Bioeffects CTC will conduct research to enable the maximum
safe exploitation of the electromagnetic spectrum for nation defense by protecting
personnel & communities and assessing weapons applications. CTC research will
focus on characterizing fundamental bioeffects, optimizing the safety/effectiveness of
directed Energy systems, developing/assessing dosimetry tools, modeling &
simulation of products/applications, protecting device development and providing
science-based information to national & international safety standards.
3.2.2.1.1 Directed Energy Bioeffects Modeling, Simulation, &
Analysis CRA1: The directed energy bioeffects modeling, simulation, &
analysis core research area emphasizes research that focuses on new
modeling, simulation, and analysis techniques which represent and optimize
concepts of directed energy systems employment from the bioeffect
standpoint, develops capabilities for studies and means of measuring of
effectiveness and suitability for directed energy systems to include direct,
scalable, and collateral effects. Research areas include high-
performance/high-fidelity multi-physics simulations, advanced
electromagnetic dosimetry models, mechanistic theories & models of injury,
thermal/thermoregulatory response models, physics-to-physiology color
vision theory, component models of human response to directed energy,
statistical approaches for risk assessment, near-real-time numerical
approaches and surrogating complexity through machine learning.
3.2.2.1.1.1 Directed Energy Bioeffects Modeling Simulation & Analysis
LOE1: Develop and mature physics & engineering-level models for
directed energy dosimetry & the resulting biological effects; create
algorithms encapsulating empirical datasets & physics-level models
of directed energy dose response; supports directed energy
modernization campaign and enables the Directed Energy
Weapons Review and Approval (DEWRAP) process.
3.2.2.1.1.2 Directed Energy Bioeffects Dosimetry LOE3: Develop novel
dosimetry to better understand directed energy interactions and
injury to inform software approaches enabling simulation of
dynamic scenarios; supports directed energy modernization.
3.2.2.1.2 Directed Energy Bioeffects & Mechanisms CRA2: The directed energy
bioeffects & mechanisms CRA provides fundamental knowledge of
mechanisms of interaction of directed energy with molecules, cells, tissues,
and organs in support of military directed energy systems and enables future
weapon systems with scalable, disruptive, and ultra-precise effects. Research
areas include: discovery science for understanding mechanisms,
neurobiological & behavioral response to directed energy, hardening of
biological targets to directed energy, mechanistic response of human vision
to directed energy, epigenetic response to directed energy exposure,
membrane and ion channel response to rapid onset exposures, supra-
threshold response – severity of effects, and human factors in technologies for

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
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protection.
3.2.2.1.2.1 Research in Directed Energy Multi-Interaction Systems LOE2:
Develop and deliver an integrated modeling environment and
studies to address critical national defense interests & prevent
technological surprises. Study radio frequency, combined or
synergistic responses, and their interaction with biology.
3.2.2.1.2.2 Directed Energy Hazard & Protection Assessment LOE4:
Feedback & expertise for DoD to optimize safety/performance
trades for directed energy systems; evaluation of dose-response of
directed energy exposures to achieve specific endpoint; understand
human vision response to optical radiation and related protective
devices; elucidate margin of effectiveness and safety to meet DoD
mission success. Assure no technology surprise.
3.2.2.1.2.3 Directed Energy Weapon Effects LOE5: Feedback & expertise
for DoD to optimize safety/performance trades for directed energy
systems & provide scientific basis for risk criteria definitions; Allows
directed energy weapon modernization & enables review and
approval processes for weapons systems.
3.3 Warfighter Interactions & Readiness (RHW)
3.3.1 RHW Product Lines (PL)
3.3.1.1 Airman-Machine Integration PL1: Delivers advanced, situationally-adaptive and
scalable interface technologies and decision aiding tools. S&T is focused on ABMS-
compliant, intuitive user interfaces, and intelligent aided decision support to provide
rapid, accurate battlefield awareness, maximized distributed human-machine team
performance and decision superiority. Operator-centric interfaces increase human
combat capabilities while managing human cognitive workload in complex, degraded
environments. Key technologies include human-autonomy collaboration and trust in
autonomy, development of successful distributed, heterogeneous teams with metrics
of team performance, exploitation of human perception and enhancement of
operational communication. These efforts address the critical needs for ABMS and
JADC2 with optimal human-machine teams ready to operate.
3.3.1.2 Readiness PL2: Develops and extends technologies and tools for improving the
cognitive effectiveness, performance and proficiency of airmen in current and potential
future operational mission contexts. Aims to deliver operationally relevant,
unobtrusive, integrated metrics, software, & hardware to assess proficiency &
readiness in real-time. Develops methodologies to create models & algorithms for
performance prediction, training support, & automated instruction. Key technologies
include the ability to support multi-capable airmen resilience and mission performance
in austere deployed contexts and develop standards for sharable scenario content,
data, models, & metrics.
3.3.1.3 Analytics PL3: Identifies & matures software that streamlines workflow & enables
cognition at the scale of war, enabling airmen effectiveness in the air, space, &
cyberspace domains for effective C2ISR in Multi-Domain Operations. Develops
analytic tools that optimize human cognition with the power of machine computation,
thereby enabling consumers to better visualize, interpret, and act on information. Aims
to deliver software that is open-architecture, modular, networked, and distributed; able
to leverage statistics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence; and focuses on

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
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speed, accuracy, insight, and action.
3.3.2 RHW Core Technical Competencies (CTC), Critical Research Areas (CRA) & Lines
of Effort (LOE)
3.3.2.1 Warfighter Interfaces and Teaming CTC1: The Warfighter Interfaces and Teaming
CTC will conduct research to enable robust decision superiority across our Air and
Space Forces by dynamically optimizing the integration of Warfighter cognition with
increasingly complex and intelligent machines/systems, creating maximally effective
and resilient warfighting teams. CTC research will focus on discovering, developing,
evaluating, and transitioning advanced adaptive warfighter interface technology,
mission-optimized distributed team performance enhancements, communication
management processes, and context-tailored intelligent decision aids/analytics in
order to achieve and maintain decision superiority in uncertain environments against
peer threats.
3.3.2.1.1 Distributed Teaming and Communication CRA1: The Distributed Teaming
& Communication CRA emphasizes research that explores the rapid
formation, real-time assessment, and dynamically optimized performance of
distributed heterogeneous teams of warfighters as well as human-machine
teams in order to enable rapid, agile & robust mission operations. Research
areas will include: methods to enable the rapid formation of mission-effective
heterogeneous teams, dynamic monitoring / assessment of team
performance via optimal assemblage of novel and existing metrics, adaptive
tactics for recovery from real or predicted team performance degradations,
and novel distributed communication & collaboration tools, technologies and
management methods that are responsive to variable network environments.
3.3.2.1.1.1 Dynamic Team Performance Assessment LOE1: Enable the
rapid formation, real-time assessment, and dynamically optimized
performance of distributed heterogeneous teams of warfighters as
well as human-machine teams in order to enable rapid, agile &
robust mission operations. Research areas include methods to
support the rapid formation of mission-effective heterogeneous
teams, dynamic monitoring of team performance via optimal
assemblage of novel and existing metrics, and real-time contextual
aids from team communication.
3.3.2.1.1.2 Team Optimization and Recovery LOE2: Design, develop, and
evaluate team optimization and recovery technologies to enhance
communication, coordination, and improve decision making among
distributed teams. Research areas include interfaces to support
joint tasking and team shared awareness (SA) across multiple
domains as well as conversational AI technologies to enable high
bandwidth natural communications.
3.3.2.1.2 Human Machine Interactions CRA2: The Human-Machine Interactions CRA
emphasizes research to identify principles of human interaction with highly
complex systems, including advanced automation & increasingly intelligent
AI- enabled machines. The goal of this research is to achieve and sustain
decision superiority across complex & uncertain mission environments.
Research areas include identifying, characterizing and overcoming key
challenges to warfighter interactions with complex and intelligent systems
such as situationally-adaptive interface design and usability, knowledge

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
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representation across sensory modalities, system observability &
transparency, directability, joint cognitive decision making, and maintaining
calibrated trust across changing conditions.
3.3.2.1.2.1 Rapid Joint-Cognitive Awareness LOE1: To develop human-
centric interfaces and interaction strategies for improved
AI/automation transparency, closed-loop adaptive systems that are
responsive to warfighter state, and advanced techniques for
effectively visualizing large, complex data sets.
3.3.2.1.2.2 HMI-enabled Decision Superiority LOE2: To develop capabilities
for continuous planning for C2, next generation interfaces for
complex intelligent platforms, and interfaces tailored for emerging
Cognitive Warfare (CogWar) concepts.
3.3.2.2 Human Learning and Cognition (HLC) CTC2: The Human Learning and Cognition
CTC enables more lethal Air and Space Forces through research on human
multisensory perception, learning, information processing, and action. The research
seeks to maximize mission effectiveness by (1) Establishing a persistent, global
training and test ecosystem that creates the foundation for personalized, proficiency-
based readiness for multi-capable Airmen and Guardians in joint all-domain
operations, (2) Creating capabilities that allow teams of humans and machines to adapt
and learn together in real time in training and operational settings, & (3) Advancing
considerations of human performance in system development and operational
planning with digital models of perception, cognition, & action.
3.3.2.2.1 Digital Model of Cognition CRA1: The Digital Models of Cognition Core
Research Area emphasizes research to identify computational and
mathematical mechanisms to represent human perception, information
processing, and behavior, including the integration of models that reflect the
role of internal and external factors that modulate performance efficiency and
effectiveness. The goal is to develop holistic models that support quantitative
understanding and prediction of mission effectiveness across domains and at
different levels of abstraction for improved systems engineering, wargaming,
and operational planning.
3.3.2.2.1.1 Holistic Models for Decision-Making LOE1: Develop models of
cognitive systems that support quantitative understanding and
prediction of mission effectiveness for decision superiority.
3.3.2.2.1.2 Information Mastery in Cognitive Warfare LOE2: Analytic
methods, models, and tradecraft that enables operators to improve
Information- Related Capability (IRC).
3.3.2.2.2 Learning and Operational Training CRA2: The Learning and Operational
Training Core Research Area emphasizes learning and understanding in the
context of evolving technology. This includes research to establish an
ecosystem that maximizes mission effectiveness while minimizing costs by
matching technologies to learning and performance needs; supporting high
resolution human and system measurement and quantitative, proficiency-
centric readiness assessment and prediction at the individual and team levels;
and exploring how to enable human and machine co-learning to support
mutual adaptation and understanding in human-machine teams.
3.3.2.2.2.1 Warfighter Learning Technologies LOE1: Research,
demonstrate, & transition learning technologies, methods, &
infrastructure for personalized, proficiency-based readiness.

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
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3.3.2.2.2.2 Co-Learning for Adaptive Human and Machine Teams LOE2:
Establish the foundation for interactive learning and collaborative
training of humans and AI-enabled machines to enable uniquely
effective human-autonomy teams.
4.0 Other Requirements
4.1 OPSEC: The technical research areas under this contract shall be specified per task order. At
minimum, the contractor shall provide OPSEC protection for all sensitive/critical information and
indicators involved in execution of this contract/Task Order, as defined by AFI 10-701 (Operations
Security). 711 HPW Critical Information and Indicators are protected under the 711 HPW
Operations Security Program and the 711 HPW Critical Information and Indicators List (CIIL).
Contractor employees granted access to critical information and indicators will be provided initial
OPSEC training by the 711 HPW OPSEC Coordinator upon in- processing and prior to being
granted access to CIIL items related to the contract/Task Order. The contractor will also
participate in 711 HPW’s annual OPSEC training and education programs, which includes
periodic updates and refresher training on CIIL items applicable to the contract/Task Order. The
711 HPW OPSEC coordinator will evaluate the OPSEC posture of AF contract activities and
operations.
All contractor personnel require a minimum of a Tier 1 background check (T1)/SF85 for any
position that requires access to the internet, use of automated information systems to cover
standalone computers or unescorted entry into restricted or controlled areas prior to reporting for
duty in support of any requirement. The investigation is not for a security clearance; it is for a
position of trust. This is mandatory requirement set forth in DoDM 5200.02_AFMAN 16-1405, Air
Force Personnel Security Program. All documentation required for security certification shall be
the responsibility of the contractor.
Contractors shall complete the customer-provided Intelligence Oversight training as required by
customer requirements and will report any Questionable Intelligence Activity (QIA),
Significant/Highly Sensitive Matter (S/HSM), and/or Federal Crimes IA W procedures established
in DoD Directive 5148.13, Intelligence Oversight, and AFI 14-104, Intelligence Oversight. For
contracts involving cryptographic matters in addition to DoDD and AFI reference, USSID 18, Legal
Compliance and US. Persons Minimization Procedures.
4.2 O&M Fiscal Considerations: To satisfy the Purpose Statute, proposed funding must be proper
for the work to be performed (31 USC Sec. 1301 & DoD FMR, vol. 14, Ch. 2, para. 020202.B.).
The scope/purpose of the contract must be analyzed to ensure the use of O&M funds is proper
and not an Anti-Deficiency Act violation. IAW the DoD Financial Management Regulation,
RDT&E will finance research, development, test and evaluation efforts, including procurement of
end items, weapons, equipment, components, materials and services required for development
of equipment, material, or computer application software.

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> Download XLSX file: Solicitation Tracker_7 Aug 2025.xlsx

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USAFSAM SOO

FA2384-24-S-2233,
Amendment 01
Attachment 3
Continuing Human Enabling, Enhancing, Restoring, and Sustaining
(CHEERS) Multiple Authority Announcement (MAA) Technical
Requirements - Statement of Objectives (SOO)
United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine
1.0 Background
The Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine
(USAFSAM) is one of the mission units within the 711th Human Performance Wing (711HPW). The
USAFSAM mission is to ensure ready Airmen, ready Guardians, and ready Medics in any environment, and is
composed of globally recognized experts in Aerospace and Operational Medicine. This expertise is leveraged
to provide relevant operational medical solutions that support current and future DoD missions by
anticipating and meeting the future demands of the Air Force Aerospace Operational Medicine Enterprise
(AOME), through a combination of consultation, education and training, and knowledge generation through
Studies & Analysis (S&A), and research, within the areas of Aerospace Medicine, En Route Care,
Occupational and Environmental Health, and Public Health and Preventative Medicine. These focus areas
typically align with the USAFSAM departments.
2.0 Technical Requirements
The AOME seeks to maximize Airman performance and readiness, as well as the development of mitigation
measures for physical and psychological stressors, illness and injuries during Airman training and operations
by executing S&A as well as R&D studies. Focus areas for these studies can be broadly categorized into the
following areas of interest for both S&A as well as R&D: Aerospace Medicine and Physiology, Public Health
and Preventative Medicine, Occupational Medicine and Bioenvironmental Engineering, and En Route
Care/Expeditionary Medicine/Prolonged Field Care. Collectively, these areas can be referred to as the
AOME. S&A studies must be appropriate for one-year (12 month), short- term investigations and not be basic
research.
Submitted white papers and/or proposals should target specific research challenges and exactly
identify the technical requirement(s) (by nomenclature below) to which the white paper/proposal
aligns.
2.1 Aerospace Medicine and Physiology
2.1.1 Aerospace Physiology: Solutions relating to physiologic assessment of aircrew in high
altitude Fighters/Trainers.
2.1.1.1 Assessments of the physiologic response to exposures and stressors from the
fighter/trainer environment; can cover any of the following: including effects of fluctuating
pressure, high O2, air quality, breathing resistance, thermal burden, dehydration,
rest/sleep (physical fatigue), cognitive fatigue, Aircrew Flight Equipment (AFE) integration
(how AFE impacts in-flight physiology, and how AFE components interact with each other
to impact physiology and aircrew performance), and combined stressors on performance
and decision making in ground-based testing and operational environments, including the
analysis of potential countermeasures to optimize pilot performance and eliminate
sources of risk.
2.1.1.2 Solutions to sustain Aircrew performance in extreme environments.
2.1.1.3 Conduct comprehensive technology assessments of the current military health
system simulators that can monitor and track physiologic responses from training student
pilots.
2.1.1.4 There is a strong demand for wearables that are cross compatible across multiple
systems to collect physiologic data, that are reliable and validated in the operational
environment. Offerors are to conduct a comprehensive technology assessment of
commercial off the shelf products, including their suitability for use in the operational

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
Amendment 01
Attachment 3
environment and their validated measurement capabilities, to help aid aircrew and
decision makers on what can be flown in the aircraft and what can be accurately
collected from those sensors.
2.1.1.5 Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention and Treatment for Aircrew and Maintainers:
Neck and back pain is a known occupational hazard for the high-performance aircraft
community. The government seeks solutions, including tools to prevent, reduce, screen
and diagnose musculoskeletal condition as well as alternative/integrative medicine
approaches, for prevention or treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. Proposed solutions
shall focus on providing reliable measurements to determine platform-specific neck/back
dysfunction and improvements due to embedded care.
2.1.1.6 Gender-specific operational aircrew considerations
2.1.1.7 Assessment, modeling, detection, and/or mitigation Aircrew and Operator fatigue
2.1.2 Aerospace Medicine
2.1.2.1 Precision Medicine and Medical Standards: Development of solutions relating to
the following areas:
2.1.2.1.1 Surveillance of conditions, indications, clinical practice guideline
adherence, and outcomes to support cost benefit analyses for Air Force
population.
2.1.2.1.2 Genomics for mishap investigations (gene expression, subtracting
human and molecular autopsy).
2.1.2.1.3 Studies providing data to support evidence-based aerospace medicine
standards and waivers.
2.1.2.1.4 Psychological Performance and Mental Health (solutions should relate
to at least one of the following areas)
2.1.2.1.4.1 Mental health and psychological disorders amongst airmen
and potential influence on readiness and retention.
2.1.2.1.4.2 Neurocognitive diversity; cognitive testing and correlates with
mental health and other outcomes.
2.2.2.1.4.3 Assessment of the feasibility of integrating the use of
personality data and wearable technology to facilitate adjustment and
success during career specific training. Personality assessments and
wearables both as tools to facilitate readiness via positive change, well-
being, and performance by increasing self-awareness.
2.2 Public Health and Preventative Medicine
2.2.1 Development, optimization, and validation of pathogen detection methodologies
2.2.2 Cancer analysis in the Air Force population
2.2.2.1 Development and evaluation of prototypes that can identify carcinogenic toxins or
hazardous materials associated with military flight operations from shipboard or land
bases or facilities.
2.2.2.2 Development and evaluation of prototypes that can identify exposures to ionizing
radiation and nonionizing radiation from which airmen could have received increased
radiation amounts.
2.2.2.3 Establishment of guidelines for carcinogen exposure as it relates to demographics
for each airman to include duty stations, duties and aircraft flow.
2.2.2.4 Establishment of guidelines that outline the duties and potential exposures of
airmen that are associated with higher incidence of cancer.
2.2.2.5 Development and evaluation of screening tools and/or methods that relate to
carcinogen exposure to airmen.
2.2.3 Assess methodologies to prevent wound infection.
2.2.4 Assess infectious disease conditions in Air Force populations.

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FA2384-24-S-2233,
Amendment 01
Attachment 3
2.3 Occupational Medicine and Bioenvironmental Engineering
2.3.1 Enhancement of capabilities to detect, measure, and assess occupational and
environmental health hazard contaminants and extreme environmental conditions.
2.3.1.1 Assess technologies to enhance capabilities to detect and identify chemical,
biological, toxins, radiological, directed energy, poisons and physical hazards on surfaces
(including soil and powder), in liquids and in the air in near real-time at the detector's
point of operation and notify end user of risk.
2.3.1 2 Assessment of Aviation-Specific Exposures
2.3.1.3 Develop, test and evaluate real-time health threat surveillance and reporting
system inclusive of all available health information/databases to identify risks/outbreaks
and provide decision support to operational commanders.
2.3.2 Evaluation/development of mitigation technology capable of reducing or eliminating
occupational and environmental health hazard risks.
2.4 En Route Care/Expeditionary Medicine/Prolonged Field Care: Needs in this
area include medical capabilities to support in route care to/from remote, austere settings, and in
extreme environments.
2.4.1 Training methodologies to improve operational readiness for individuals and teams
responsible for delivering basic and advanced en route care capabilities within the aeromedical
evacuation system.
2.4.2 Technology assessment/development to support the Air Force Surgeon General’s medical
modernization priorities with a focus on modernizing outdated technologies and techniques to
promote en route care growth/preparation for future peer/near-peer conflicts involving mass
casualty care.
2.5 Education and training technologies and methodologies to support efforts to generate, develop, and
maintain skillsets across the AOME.
2.6 Applications of data science to analyze medical and operational data and outcomes across the
AOME, which may include implementation of AI and machine learning to answer operationally relevant
questions.
3.0 Other Requirements:
3.1 O&M Fiscal Considerations: To satisfy the Purpose Statute, proposed funding must be proper
for the work to be performed (31 USC Sec. 1301 & DoD FMR, vol. 14, Ch. 2, para. 020202.B.).
The scope/purpose of the contract must be analyzed to ensure the use of O&M funds is proper
and not an Anti-Deficiency Act violation. IAW the DoD Financial Management Regulation,
RDT&E will finance research, development, test and evaluation efforts, including procurement
of end items, weapons, equipment, components, materials and services required for
development of equipment, material, or computer application software.