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EVENT DETAILS |
Many mind-blowing ideas are being birthed in U.S. startup companies, but the Pentagon largely misses out on them. For our big bureaucracy, awarding a contract in months is a flash. The Pentagon must do business at the speed of ideas: inspiring & accelerating startup creativity toward national security challenges. The smaller the company, the faster we must move. We accept that challenge. Welcome to Air Force Pitch Day.
"Pitch Days are new fast tracks for startups to work with the Air Force. Modeled after commercial investment pitch competitions, our goal is to award $40 million to startups using one-day, one-page contracts. These awards use convenient credit card payments- we want partnering with the Air Force to be easy & energizing!" Dr. Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics
Eligibility Requirements
SBIR
Applicant is for-profit business based in the United States
500 or fewer employees
Principal investigator's primary employment (more than 50 percent) must be with small business
Additional requirements apply
STTR
Applicant is for-profit business based in the United States
Partner with U.S. research institution
Formal cooperative research & development effort
At least 40% of work performed by small business while 30% of work performed by research institution
Additional requirements apply
SAM Registration
Before a contract can be awarded, you must be registered in the System for Award Management, or SAM. SAM replaced the Central Contractor Registration (CCR), the Online Representations & Certifications Application, & the Excluded Parties List System. SAM allows firms interested in conducting business with the federal government to provide basic information on their business capabilities & financial information. To register, visit https://www.sam.gov/ If you had an active record in CCR then you have an active record in SAM. You will receive email notifications 60, 30, & 15 days prior to the expiration of the record. You can search for registered entities in SAM by typing the business name or DUNS number into the search box.
Model Phase I Purchase Order (P.O.)
This Model Purchase Order (P.O.) contains examples of SBIR contractual deliverable requirements (e.g. submission of interim & final scientific & technical reports) as well as Federal Acquisition Regulation contract clauses.
Non-Selection & Debriefing Request
The SBIR/STTR program is extremely competitive with the number of awards being based on technical quality & the present-day needs & mission requirements of the Air Force. Although your firm may have submitted a good proposal, an award may not have been offered. If your firm's proposal was not selected, the principal investigator & corporate official indicated on the proposal cover sheet will be notified via email. You may request a debriefing from the contracting officer listed in your notification. Remember, the Air Force may participate in three SBIR & three STTR Broad Agency Announcements (BAA) per year as part of the DoD BAA process so there may be other opportunities for your firm. Please visit the BAA page to learn more about potential opportunities.
Proposal Submissions
A SBIR or STTR Phase I or Phase II proposal for any DoD component must be submitted through the online DoD Submission website at: sbir.defensebusiness.org
Air Force experts evaluate the proposals on the following criteria, which are listed in order of importance:
Soundness, technical merit & innovation of the proposed approach & its incremental progress toward topic or subtopic solution; Qualifications of the principal/key investigators, supporting staff, & consultants.
Qualifications include not only the ability to perform the research & development, but also the ability to commercialize the results; and
The potential for commercialization (Government or private sector) application & the benefits expected to accrue from this commercialization.
Note: Technical reviewers will base their conclusions only on information contained in the proposal. It cannot be assumed that reviewers are acquainted with the firm or key individuals or any referenced experiments. Relevant supporting data such as journal articles, literature, including Government publications, etc., should be contained or referenced in the proposal & will count toward the page limit.
Proposal Selection & Award
If your firm's proposal has been selected for a Phase I award, the principal investigator & corporate official indicated on the proposal cover sheet will be notified by email.
You will receive an email for each selected proposal. Please read each email carefully, paying close attention to the proposal & topic numbers. The email will emphasize that no work is to be performed at this time & that a Government Contract Negotiator or Contracting Officer will be contacting you.
Proposal Receipt & Status
The Air Force is not responsible for ensuring email receipt by small businesses that have changed their email addresses since submission of the Phase I proposal without proper notification.
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