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Frequently Asked Questions
BAA 06-37 / RA 06-38: Information Theory for Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks (ITMANET)
1. As I read through the section IV, A. Cover Sheet, the last bullet says that all subcontractor proposal backup documentation must included items A-I. I read that as meaning that each subcontractor that we have on our proposal must do a cover sheet as well, with as much of that information as they have. Is that correct?
2. Regarding section II.M, do the faculty members need put down all of the projects they get paid from and how many hours they will be working on them?
3. My team has a question concerning whether the ITMANET award should be proposed as a Grant or a Contract. For us, the overhead in terms of a Grant is lesser than for a Contract, and so we were wondering whether other factors being equal it could be proposed as a Grant rather than a Contract. Any clarification would be appreciated.
4. Is it possible to include a Canadian University as one of the team partners?
5. I am currently a post-doc, but I will be an assistant professor of ECE at the University of XXX starting this Fall. Technically, my start date is not until August 2006. I was awarded my PhD in September 2005, and this is my first appointment as a faculty member. Thus, I believe that I meet the four criteria defined on page 3 of the Proposer Information Pamphlet, even though my position will not start until August, after the proposal due date. Am I correct in this interpretation?
6. My young investigator team is going to respond to the RA solicitation. We notice that the PIP mentions an anticipated budget of the $13.5M over 4.5 years, but does not say how the money is going to be divided among the BAA and the RA awards. Elsewhere it says that a maximum of two awards are anticipated. Should we aim for $6.75M as the total budget for proposal on the assumption that it will be divided equally?
7. Since it is difficult to predict up front the precise funding needs for out years, to what degree will it be possible to change the amount of funding going to different co-PI's or subawardees (assuming the total amount per year is constant) later in the award period? Does DARPA simply view this as the entire funding amount going to the prime, and subcontracts/allocation being up to the PI?
8. There are various references within the PIP for Period of Performance start date. One date is January 1, 2007 stated on Page 21, Section B. The other is September 1, 2006 referenced on Page 7, Section i.
9. I am a little confused about the timing. The anticipated starting date is Sept 1 2006 but the door is left open for submissions until May 2007. I understand that the deadline for the "initial" submissions is June 28 06 but what is the purpose and real meaning of the spread of time among these dates?
10. We will have four sub-awards. Do we need to have Bio information on each PI of the sub-award?
11. If we send the proposal by overnight U.S. mail on 6/27/06 for guaranteed delivery by 12 noon on 6/28/06, and the U.S. mail is delayed, will the proposal still be considered?
12. Senior personnel usually have higher salaries than junior personnel. Will such considerations affect any allocation of funding across the two solicitations?
13. Since we cannot assume an even split of funding across the two solicitations, how are we supposed to cost our proposals?
14. Are there any ITAR restrictions concerning the ITMANET solicitations?
1. As I read through the section IV, A. Cover Sheet, the last bullet says that all subcontractor proposal backup documentation must included items A-I. I read that as meaning that each subcontractor that we have on our proposal must do a cover sheet as well, with as much of that information as they have. Is that correct?
Yes, that is correct. (The bullet list should have been a lettered list.) However, note that only the prime must fill out the online cover sheet; the subcontractor information should merely be included in the cost proposal.
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2. Regarding section II.M, do the faculty members need put down all of the projects they get paid from and how many hours they will be working on them?
Yes. The intent of this question is to determine the absolute commitment to this project (using hours as the time unit) as well as total availability and commitment relative to other projects. All hours in the working year should be accounted for. You may optionally indicate percentage time commitments but if so you should indicate percentages of the entire year not just the summer.
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3. My team has a question concerning whether the ITMANET award should be proposed as a Grant or a Contract. For us, the overhead in terms of a Grant is lesser than for a Contract, and so we were wondering whether other factors being equal it could be proposed as a Grant rather than a Contract. Any clarification would be appreciated.
It's up to the offeror to determine what type of vehicle to propose. The Government is not bound by that determination and will negotiate the appropriate award document consistent with current regulations. In terms of grant (assistance) v. contract (procurement), here is an excerpt from the DoDGARS explaining the difference.
§22.205 Distinguishing assistance from procurement.
Before using a grant or cooperative agreement, the grants officer shall make a positive judgment that an assistance instrument, rather than a procurement contract, is the appropriate instrument, based on the following:
(a) Purpose. (1) The grants officer must judge that the principal purpose of the activity to be carried out under the instrument is to stimulate or support a public purpose (i.e., to provide assistance), rather than acquisition (i.e., to acquire goods and services for the direct benefit of the United States Government). If the principal purpose is acquisition, then the grants officer shall judge that a procurement contract is the appropriate instrument, in accordance with 31 U.S.C. chapter 63 (“Using Procurement Contracts and Grant and Cooperative Agreements”).
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4. Is it possible to include a Canadian University as one of the team partners?
The ITMANET BAA (06-37) is open to teams including foreign universities, but proposer eligibility for the Young Investigator solicitation (RA 06-38) is limited to teams of Young Investigators holding a “tenure-track faculty position at a U.S. Institution of higher learning”.
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5. I am currently a post-doc, but I will be an assistant professor of ECE at the University of XXX starting this Fall. Technically, my start date is not until August 2006. I was awarded my PhD in September 2005, and this is my first appointment as a faculty member. Thus, I believe that I meet the four criteria defined on page 3 of the Proposer Information Pamphlet, even though my position will not start until August, after the proposal due date. Am I correct in this interpretation?
If you have paperwork confirming your appointment this fall, you will be considered eligible.
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6. My young investigator team is going to respond to the RA solicitation. We notice that the PIP mentions an anticipated budget of the $13.5M over 4.5 years, but does not say how the money is going to be divided among the BAA and the RA awards. Elsewhere it says that a maximum of two awards are anticipated. Should we aim for $6.75M as the total budget for proposal on the assumption that it will be divided equally?
The anticipated budget and number of awards are offered as rough guidelines for planning purposes, not precise commitments on the part of the government. The intent of providing these details is to suggest a desire for a small number of moderately-sized project proposals that extend over a fairly long time horizon. Your proposal should not “aim” for a specific budget but rather should be costed according to the actual requirements of your proposed project. In terms of a split between RA awards and BAA awards, there is no predetermined allocation.
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7. Since it is difficult to predict up front the precise funding needs for out years, to what degree will it be possible to change the amount of funding going to different co-PI's or subawardees (assuming the total amount per year is constant) later in the award period? Does DARPA simply view this as the entire funding amount going to the prime, and subcontracts/allocation being up to the PI?
It is not general DoD policy to require prior approval for the transfer of funds among direct cost categories under grants supporting research. The overriding principle in these instances prohibits a transfer that would cause any Federal appropriation to be used for purposes other than those consistent with the original intent of the appropriation. All grants include a provision instructing the grantee when to obtain prior approval for deviations from the budget and program plans approved during the award process. This includes the subaward, transfer or contracting out of any work under an award that was not described in the original proposal and funded in the approved award.
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8. There are various references within the PIP for Period of Performance start date. One date is January 1, 2007 stated on Page 21, Section B. The other is September 1, 2006 referenced on Page 7, Section i.
For both Period of Performance and cost breakouts, submitters should use January 1, 2007 as the start date.
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9. I am a little confused about the timing. The anticipated starting date is Sept 1 2006 but the door is left open for submissions until May 2007. I understand that the deadline for the "initial" submissions is June 28 06 but what is the purpose and real meaning of the spread of time among these dates?
The solicitations will be kept open for approximately one year, by DARPA policy, in order to provide a mechanism for the consideration of responsive proposals submitted after the initial evaluation phase. However, as noted in the announcement, “proposers should keep in mind that while any proposals submitted after the June 28, 2006 deadline may be evaluated by the Government, the likelihood of funding such proposals is greatly reduced.” Proposers are therefore strongly discouraged from relying on the permissibility of submitting after June 28, 2006.
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10. We will have four sub-awards. Do we need to have Bio information on each PI of the sub-award?
Yes. Everybody you consider a key individual - someone whose experience and credentials are essential to the success of the project, and correspondingly whose background you want evaluated in the criterion concerning personnel, should have bio information in your proposal.
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11. If we send the proposal by overnight U.S. mail on 6/27/06 for guaranteed delivery by 12 noon on 6/28/06, and the U.S. mail is delayed, will the proposal still be considered?
Proposals sent via US Mail, Fedex, and UPS for delivery prior to the initial closing deadline will be considered for initial closing only if delivery is not delayed more than 24 hours and was clearly not due to an error on the part of the proposer.
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12. Senior personnel usually have higher salaries than junior personnel. Will such considerations affect any allocation of funding across the two solicitations?
No. The cited statistic cuts both ways since senior personnel have a track record of higher productivity and should require either smaller teams or less time for a comparable statement of work.
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13. Since we cannot assume an even split of funding across the two solicitations, how are we supposed to cost our proposals?
Your proposals will be evaluated for a quality called "Cost Realism". See the solicitation announcements for further explanation of this criterion.
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14. Are there any ITAR restrictions concerning the ITMANET solicitations?
The ITMANET program has not been identified as a "critical technology" effort subject to export controls in accordance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR); therefore, there are no restrictions on the eligibility of any contractors/subcontractors to respond to the BAA. However, if a particular proposal raises ITAR issues not previously contemplated, DARPA reserves the right to include required ITAR restrictions in any resulting contract.
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