ARL posts RFI for human information interaction, cybersecurity, and electromagnetic spectrum

On September 30, the Army Research Laboratory posted a request for information (RFI) for potential partners in the areas of human information interaction, cybersecurity, and electromagnetic spectrum. Responses to this RFI must be received no later than 10:00 am Eastern time on November 10.

The Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground, Research Triangle Park (RTP) Division, on behalf of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), is releasing this special notice to inform interested parties about ARL’s interest in establishing one or more Other Transaction (OT) Agreements for Prototype Projects in accordance with Section 815 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2016, 10 USC § 2371b. The purpose of an OT is to engage, collaborate, and do business with an entity or group of entities, to include industry, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit, partners that have expertise in the Human Information Interaction (HII), Cybersecurity, and Electromagnetic Spectrum technology area(s). ARL is considering a number of business models to include: (1) award of OT(s) to a single entity for effort; (2) award of an OT to a managing entity (most likely a nonprofit entity) who will seek out partners as appropriate to perform the effort; and (3) award to a consortium of entities with a managing entity (most likely a nonprofit entity) to perform the effort. Industry involvement is expected to include nontraditional Defense contractor participants. This RFI is seeking information from those who are interested in potentially partnering and participating under an OT in any of the business models or technology areas discussed above.

ARL is committed to being a more innovative and effective defense laboratory that can be adaptive and responsive to the future challenges of national security through technological advantage. Secretary Ashton Carter stated on 23 April 2015, “Start-ups are the leading edge of commercial innovation, and right now, DoD researchers don’t have enough promising ways to transition technologies that they came up with to application.” The use of an OT will give ARL access to technologies, and technological-based companies, that advance so rapidly that the DoD finds it difficult to contractually engage, collaborate, and do business with them.

The speed, complexity, and multidisciplinary nature of Human Information Interaction, Cybersecurity and Electromagnetic Spectrum research and development, coupled with the demands of a globally competitive environment, have increased the importance of technology linkages for innovation and long-term competitiveness. ARL is interested in establishing an OT, as authorized under 10 U.S.C. 2371b, as a vehicle to partner and collaborate with industry, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations; entities whose identity and capabilities may be currently unknown to ARL. The ARL OT will be used for research and development prototype projects in the aforementioned technology areas.

Full information is available here.

Source: FedBizOpps