Phase I Evaluation Criteria

Transcription

1 ONR SBIR/STTR Technical Evaluation Process Dr. Eric J. Wuchina Program Officer, ONR Senior Materials Research Engineer, NSWCCD Lore-Anne Ponirakis ONR SBIR Program Manager National SBIR/STTR Conference June 18, 2014 Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited Phase I Evaluation Criteria Evaluators are government employees Typically technical leads or SMEs for topic area Criteria A: Soundness, technical merit and innovation Most important criteria Criteria B: Qualifications of Principal Investigator, support staff and consultants Of equal importance to Criteria C Criteria C: Commercial Potential 1

2 Assessing Criteria A: Technical Merit Most important criteria Conclusions based on what s in the proposal not on prior knowledge of company or discussions during open solicitation Evaluation based on proposing company s response to the solicitation Provide supporting documentation on the rating Provide details for both Strengths and Weaknesses Reference proposal page number and paragraph Assessing Criteria B: Qualifications of P.I., Staff & Consultants Evaluation based on content of proposal not prior knowledge of company personnel Proposals should include: Identification of key personnel to be involved in Phase I effort - include education and experience Concise resume of the Principal Investigator List of foreign nationals expected to be involved in the topic - include country of origin Involvement of other subcontractors or consultants 2

3 Assessing Criteria C: Commercial Potential Commercialization Strategy Specific information on the market need technology will address and size of the market Any commitments of additional investment from private sector or DoD prime contractors Company Commercialization Report Prior Commercialization record with funding details Commercialization Achievement Index (CAI) based on prior SBIR commercialization history (0 100) Cannot receive score higher than 15 if CAI <20 (system calculates automatically) Score of N/A indicates company does not have sufficient SBIR experience to calculate CAI DO NOT list this as a weakness or penalize company for this or other lack of government/dod contracting experience Phase II process Phase I firms required to upload final report to submission site and may submit an Initial Phase II proposal for evaluation Final report and Initial Phase II proposal are formally evaluated against the Phase I evaluation criteria ONR sends selected firm a request to develop their Initial Phase II proposal into a Full Phase II proposal Initial Phase II proposal is much shorter than a Full Phase II proposal Only selected Phase II companies receive Phase I Option SBIR Office will start the process for Phase I Option once Full Phase II draft proposal is received 3

4 Thoughts - Proposal Overview A concise introduction should clearly demonstrate proposer understands the solicitation and how their solution addresses it. Ensure topic is addressed and proposal is not a rehash of a previously written proposal for a different topic. A winning proposal is easy to follow. The author should explain complicated procedures and principles in clear, straightforward language. Know your customer. Review public web sites, etc., to ensure the approach is relevant. Attention to detail! Proof read for content, spelling and grammar. Use graphics and charts to illustrate the message. Do not reference websites or other material. The evaluator must assess only the content of the proposal. Proposal should be clear and concise. Evaluator is reading many proposals in multiple topic areas. Stay within page limits. Do not rely upon evaluators to draw a connection between the proposed solution and current problem. Clearly and concisely answer what, how, who, where, when and why. Dr. Douglas Deason, MDA Technical Review Discuss the innovation of the concept - articulate how it compares to the state of the art. INNOVATIVE RESEARCH - not making a new/different version of a widget. Perform literature review before proposing. Understand the problem and articulate how your approach is better. Don t just copy and paste what is in the topic call. Evaluators are the technical experts so they know the background make sure you do! Identify risks and indicate the mitigation plan to address each risk. Very important the technology is in line with government needs and is one a prime contractor would be interested in using. Provide a sufficiently detailed work plan and schedule with tasks that flow smoothly from start to finish. What equipment will be used and is it on-site or readily available to the program? Clearly state assumptions - do not leave that to the evaluator. Ensure project is reasonable, realistic, and achievable within the period of performance and budget. 4

5 Personnel Ensure listed personnel match staffing in the cost proposal. Do not list people in personnel section that will not be working on the project. Do not assume evaluator has knowledge of your company or previous work for other customers. The evaluator is looking for team qualifications. If the Principal Investigator or firm is lacking in an area be sure to supplement qualifications with appropriate team members or subcontractors. Where does the expertise reside? Evaluators want an honest representation of the firm s capabilities. This includes not only academic qualifications and work experience but also the ABILITY to do the work. What capabilities does the company have? Equipment? Be sure to address qualifications and experience in commercialization or transition. Commercialization Do not underestimate importance of commercialization. Many proposals give this little thought or provide a generic business approach. ONR wants a well thought out process on how the technology will transition into the DoD program or commercial venture. A winning proposal focuses on technology for existing programs and a path to transition the technology into appropriate government systems. This is not a basic research program. DoD wants solutions for the warfighter. Know the relevance of the product to the warfighter s situation. Know how the proposed product fits into the higher-level system or platform. Endorsements by prime contractors are not required but are evidence the proposer considered transition. Typically these are the small businesses customers. Know how to become a qualified supplier with a prime contractor for technology insertion into a military system. Endorsements that don t produce the same product related to the topic can do more harm than good - it implies the proposer does not understand the supply chain. 5

6 Questions? 6