Active

Contract Opportunity

Special Notice (SN) DARPA-SN-23-57 Amendment 1

Principles of Undersea Magnetohydrodynamic Pumps (PUMP)

Proposers Day

May 31, 2023

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is sponsoring a Proposers Day to provide information to potential proposers on the objectives of an anticipated Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the Principles of Undersea Magnetohydrodynamic Pumps (PUMP) program. The Proposers Day will be held on May 31, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) in Arlington, VA. The event will be webcast for those who would like to participate remotely. Advance registration is required for attending the Proposers Day in person and viewing the webcast. Note that all times listed in this announcement and on the registration website are Eastern Time.

The goals of the PUMP Proposers Day are to (1) introduce the research community (industry, academia, and Government) to the PUMP program vision and goals; (2) explain the mechanics of a DARPA program and the milestones of this particular effort; and (3) encourage and promote teaming arrangements among potential organizations that have the relevant expertise, facilities, and capabilities for executing a research and development program responsive to the PUMP program goals.

DARPA anticipates releasing the PUMP BAA in either May or early June 2023 timeframe. If released, the BAA will be available on https://sam.gov/ and http://www.grants.gov/. Following Proposers Day, DARPA may post the presented materials and the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to the DARPA/DSO Opportunities website.

To maximize the pool of innovative proposal concepts, DARPA strongly encourages participation by non‐traditional proposers (including small businesses, academic and research institutions, and first‐time government contractors) in events such as this and any subsequent solicitation.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE AND DESCRIPTION

The PUMP program will develop an electrode material system solution for an efficient and reliable magnetohydrodynamic drive. The program will have multiple components to achieve this goal, including a modeling and simulation design tool, determination of an appropriate electrode, and design and manufacture of a prototype magnetohydrodynamic pump. The modeling and simulation design tool will be capable of coupling the multi-physics environment of electromagnetics, hydrodynamics, and electrochemistry. The electrode material system will be designed to be highly reliable, have a lifetime suitable for future shipboard applications, and sustain the efficiency of the system during sustained operations. The prototype will be used to validate both the electrode material system and the modeling and simulation tools.

TEAMING

DARPA highly encourages teaming before proposal submission and will assist in facilitating teaming by providing a list of potential teaming partners as outlined below. Potential proposers may choose to participate in either, none, or both of the following options:

1. Attendee List (publicly available): Participant contact information (name, organization, email address) will be included on a PUMP Proposers Day Attendee List published on the DSO Opportunities website. The registration website will ask registrants to indicate whether they approve publication of their contact information.


2. Proposer Profile List (limited distribution): Interested parties will submit a one-page profile consisting of their contact information (name, organization, email, telephone number, mailing address, and, if applicable, organization website), a brief description of their technical competencies, and, if applicable, their desired expertise from other teams/organizations. All profiles must be emailed to PUMP@darpa.mil no later than 12:00 p.m. on June 9, 2023. Following the deadline, the consolidated teaming profiles will be sent via email to the proposers who submitted a valid profile. Specific content, communications, networking, and team formation are the sole responsibility of the participants. Neither DARPA nor the Department of Defense (DoD) endorses the information and organizations contained in the consolidated teaming profile document, nor does DARPA or DoD exercise any responsibility for improper dissemination of the teaming profiles.

LIGHTNING TALKS

Attendees may be afforded the opportunity to give a Lightning Talk (a brief, 3-minute oral presentation) during the webcast outlining their interests and capabilities. Lightning talks can be given either in person or remotely. The purpose of these presentations is to facilitate teaming discussions among the attendees. Upon registering, attendees may indicate if they would like to give a Lightning Talk. Due to limited availability, DARPA will accept submissions on a first-come, first-served basis and does not guarantee that an attendee’s requests to brief will be fulfilled. Submitted briefing materials should use the template provided via the registration website and are limited to a single, PDF-format slide, which should be appropriate for public release, as they will be shared with the session via webcast. The slide must be submitted to PUMP@darpa.mil by 12:00 p.m. on May 26, 2023. DARPA will contact submitters upon receipt of their slides with additional guidance for the webcast.

SIDEBARS

There will be an opportunity to meet individually with the Program Manager (PM), Susan Swithenbank. In-person, eight-minute sidebars will be held during Proposers Day between 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. In-person sidebars will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served, and space-available basis and limited to two (2) people per institution. If more sidebars are required, or if remote participants wish to meet with the PM, she will meet with potential proposers via Zoom or Teams on June 1, 2023. Zoom and Teams sidebars will be limited to four (4) people per institution. If interested, please request a sidebar via the registration website. Requests must be received no later than the registration deadline date.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The PUMP Proposers Day will be held on May 31, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Arlington, VA. Note that all times listed in this announcement and on the registration website are Eastern Time. There is no registration fee for the Proposers Day meeting or webcast.

Registration opens: As of publication of this announcement.

Registration website: https://events.sa-meetings.com/PUMPproposersday/

Registration closes (in person): May 24, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first.

Registration closes (webcast): May 24, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first.

Advance registration via the above website is required for attending the Proposers Day in person and for receiving access to the webcast. The advance registration requirement applies to every individual intending to view the webcast alone or as part of a group.

Due to the limitations of the conference facility space, in-person attendance is restricted to the first 176 registrants with a maximum of five (5) individuals from any one organization and no more than two (2) representatives per division/department of that organization. Interested parties are encouraged to coordinate attendance internally within their organizations prior to registration.

Registrants in excess of the maximum capacity limitations (176 for in-person attendance and 350 individuals for the webcast) may be added to a waitlist. Individuals who are unable to register for in-person attendance because the deadline has passed or capacity has been reached may have the option of choosing to be added to the waitlist OR registering for attendance via webcast. If slots become available due to cancellations, the slots may be filled on a first-come, first-served basis from the waitlist.

ELIGIBILITY

DARPA hosts Proposers Days to (1) promote teaming arrangements between researchers; (2) provide potential proposers with information on whether and how they might respond to the Government’s research and development solicitations; and (3) increase efficiency in proposal preparation and evaluation. Therefore, Proposers Days are only open to registered potential proposers, i.e., the events are closed to the general public and media. For this particular program, the PUMP Proposers Day registration is open to potential proposers who are U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and foreign nationals.

All registrants who are not U.S. citizens must complete and submit either a DARPA Form 60 (U.S. Permanent Resident and Foreign National Visit Request – e.g., industry or academia) or an Official Visit Request (foreign government personnel, only) through the U.S. Embassy based in Washington, DC, no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 24, 2023. Form 60 submission instructions are provided on the registration website and in the registration confirmation email. Contact your Embassy staff for assistance in submitting the Official Visit Request. Upon entry to the physical meeting, all attendees must present valid, Government-issued photo identification.

Q & A

Administrative, technical, and contractual questions about the PUMP program should be emailed to PUMP@darpa.mil. All questions must be in English and must include the name and email address of a point of contact. Following Proposers Day, DARPA may post an FAQ list on the DARPA/DSO Opportunities website.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please refer to the PUMP Proposers Day in all correspondence.

• Technical Point of Contact: Susan Swithenbank, Program Manager, PUMP@darpa.mil


• Registration Website: https://events.sa-meetings.com/PUMPproposersday/


• DARPA/DSO Opportunities Website: https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities

DISCLAIMERS AND IMPORTANT NOTES

Attendance at the PUMP Proposers Day or viewing the webcast is voluntary and is not required to propose to the anticipated PUMP BAA. Interested parties to this notice are cautioned that nothing herein obligates the Government to issue a solicitation. The Proposers Day does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. This announcement is issued solely for information and program planning purposes and is not a Request for Information (RFI). Since this is not an RFI, the Government will not accept submissions against this notice, with the exception of the one-page profile referenced in the Teaming section above and briefing materials associated with Lightning Talks. No classified, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) controlled, or proprietary information shall be presented by the Government at Proposers Day. Inclusion of proprietary information during sidebars or Lightning Talks is at the presenter’s discretion; however, any submitted Lightning Talk presentation slides should be appropriate for public release. DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred to participate in this Proposers Day. Recording Proposers Day is not permitted.

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