Notice

Competition document: Invisible shield: Countering IEDs by novel technology and techniques

Updated 15 June 2020

1. Introduction

This Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition is seeking proposals that can rapidly accelerate and enhance the electronic capabilities which can be used to counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). We are looking for novel methods which either use the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum or provide an understanding of the RF spectrum in order to detect and disrupt the functionality of IEDs.

This competition closes at midday (BST) on Wednesday 1st July 2020.

2. Competition Scope

2.1 Background

This competition addresses the need for UK defence and security to deploy new countermeasure techniques and technologies to outpace IED threat evolution. An important part of countering an IED threat is the detection of devices along with understanding the electromagnetic environment to inform situational awareness, to decide threat from non-threat and to inform the configuration of other countermeasures.

The Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) and Electronic Search systems, that the innovations generated through this call will support, provide a crucial capability for UK military and security, protecting lives of our service personnel, emergency services and the public using RF techniques to counter IEDs.

An IED is an explosive device fabricated in an improvised manner, but with varying degrees of professionalism. An IED typically comprises of the following component types:

• a power source
• wires
• electronic circuitry
• an explosive initiator
• an explosives charge
• shrapnel products to increase fragmentation
• a trigger mechanism
• and various enclosures

The trigger mechanisms used to initiate IEDs are often adapted from commercial products. Examples could include modified Radio Controlled (RC) toys or the use of communication networks. These RF links, and associated components, are considered the primary objective for this call. Other initiation methods could include command wires, timers and victim operated mechanisms, but these are considered outside the scope of this call unless there is an RF element used in the denial or detection of them.

ECM systems need to counter an ever-growing range of electromagnetic technologies operating across the RF Spectrum, using an ever growing and diverse range of signalling schemes.

This call is looking to generate novel technologies and techniques that can be rapidly developed to deliver life-saving protection against IEDs, while being adaptable to evolving technologies and able to operate in an increasingly congested RF spectrum. Proposals need to be considerate of the cognitive, training and physical burden that will be placed on the bearer (vehicle and service person), by any proposed solution.

2.2 Scope

We are interested in innovative ways to develop and expand the variety of capabilities used for UK Defence and Security. Possible threat technology types in this area are constantly evolving and therefore front line operators need to have a wide variety of options at their disposal to mitigate emerging problems quickly and effectively.

Examples of ECM and Electronic Support Measures (ESM) use cases include those that:

• can be carried by a service person on long patrols to deliver an immediate effect against IEDs
• can be attached to a vehicle in a static and/or moving scenario to deliver an immediate effect against unknown IEDs
• can be used to provide protection at a fixed location while delivering an immediate effect against an unknown IED
• can provide targeted protection without been co-located with the protected element
• are suitable for use in an urban, suburban and/ or rural context with the associated variety of environmental conditions and spectrum conditions

3. Competition Challenges

There are three priority areas of interest for this call. It is important to note that these should not be viewed as rigid, singular themes – they are not mutually exclusive. Your proposal must meet at least one of the challenges, but we welcome bids that address more than one.

3.1 Challenge 1

Innovations that capture and analyse RF signals using novel spectrum survey techniques – which may include, but are not limited to:

• signal analysis techniques and classification algorithms, which identify and distinguish between multiple technology standards and protocols, while being able to operate across a wide spectrum in real time
• decision-making approaches which are able to decide rapidly between threat and non-threat emissions
• generating methods or data analysis techniques to provide an understanding of the RF environment, which can be used to inform tactical decisions. For instance the ability to identify abnormal changes in the environment

3.2 Challenge 2

Innovations that neutralise targets in a timely and effective manner - which may include but is not limited to:

• novel techniques capable of countering devices that are agile across multiple frequency bands and radio access technologies
• techniques to counter multiple diverse communications links with a verity of modulation schemes and signal types simultaneously across a wide spectrum (that is, in the order of several GHz)

3.3 Challenge 3

Novel hardware and ancillaries (system components) – which may include but are not limited to:

• novel antenna concepts to improve performance and lower the RF and visual signature of the service person or vehicle
• advancements in hardware design such as tuneable filters, efficient ultra-wide band amplifier and receiver designs
• optimisation of size, weight, power in the design or efficiency optimisations in wideband RF signal generation technologies (on the order of several GHz)
• novel signal and data processing technologies and techniques, both software and hardware, that offer advancements in efficiency, parallelism or dynamic configurability

3.4 Clarification of what we want

Your proposal should include evidence of:

• an innovative or a creative approach
• a clear demonstration of how the proposed work applies to the challenges outlined

This Phase 1 competition is to develop solutions at Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 3-6. We are primarily looking for proposals that will demonstrate solutions at TRLs 3 or 4 on conclusion of the project. A Phase 2 competition may then enable these to be further developed up to TRLs 5 or 6. However, Phase 1 proposals that will demonstrate TRLs 5 or 6 on conclusion will also be considered. We are particularly interested in technologies that have been proven or matured for another application or domain that are proposed as a viable counter IED solution. The aim of the competition is to provide a range of successful solutions that can be developed for front line use.

3.5 Clarification of what we don’t want

For this competition, we are not interested in proposals that:

• are an identical resubmission of a previous bid to DASA or MOD without modification
• are off-the-shelf products with no additional innovation/adaptation to applications mentioned above
• concepts that have no long term prospect of providing a counter IED effect under real world conditions
• constitute consultancy, paper-based studies or standalone literature reviews which just summarise the existing understanding of the challenges outlined, without any view of future innovation (which therefore cannot be extended under potential future work)
• simply focus on a discussion of current capability gaps, whether perceived or actual
• offer detailed prediction of effects/benefits that are likely to be seen under a given scenario; this information can be built up over the period of the proposed work

4. Exploitation

It is important that, over the lifetime of DASA competitions, ideas are matured and accelerated towards appropriate end users to enhance their capability. How long this takes will be dependent on the nature and starting point (i.e. TRL) of the innovation. Early identification and appropriate engagement with potential end users during the competition and subsequent phases are essential in order to develop and implement an exploitation plan.

All proposals to DASA should articulate the expected development in technology maturity of the potential solution over the lifetime of the contract and how this relates to improved operational capability against the current known (or presumed) baseline. Your deliverables should be designed to evidence these aspects with the aim of making it as easy as possible for potential collaborators/stakeholders to identify the innovative elements of your proposal in order to consider routes for exploitation. DASA Innovation Partners are available to support you in understanding the defence and security context.

You may wish to include some of the following information, where known, to help the assessors understand your exploitation plans to date:

• the anticipated benefits (for example, in cost, time, improved capability) that your solution may provide to the user
• whether your approach will realise a standalone product or one integrated with other technologies or platforms
• an indication of the expected additional work required beyond the end of the contract to develop an operationally deployable commercial product (for example, “scaling up” for manufacture, a consideration of cyber security, integration with existing technologies, environmental operating conditions etc.)
• where proposals are not in themselves a hardware solution, an indication of the likely hardware requirements to implement them in the real world
• additional future applications and wider markets for exploitation
• an indication of any wider collaborations and networks you have already developed to realise the innovation or any additional relationships you see as a requirement to support exploitation
• how your product could be tested in a representative environment in later phases
• any specific legal, ethical, commercial or regulatory considerations for exploitation

Some submissions (e.g. those at a lower TRL level or those providing advances in signal analysis concepts without associated hardware) may not be able to articulate exploitation in great detail, but it should always be clear that there is some credible advantage to be gained from the technique/technology development.

5. How to apply

Proposals must be submitted by Wednesday 01 July 2020 at midday (BST) via the DASA submission service, for which you will be required to register.

The total funding for this challenge is expected to be at least £3M, split over multiple phases. The total funding available for Phase 1 of this competition is £ 1.5M (ex VAT). We would expect to fund approximately 10 projects in Phase 1. If successful, contracts will be awarded for a maximum duration of 9 months.

Competitors who deliver successful projects in this first phase may be encouraged to apply for future phases in collaboration with other suppliers in order to integrate solutions into a testable system. Potential Phase 2 funding will not be confined to those who are successful in Phase 1 and new applicants will be eligible to apply or to collaborate with Phase 1 applicants. Further guidance on submitting a proposal is available on the DASA website.

5.1 What your proposal must include

The proposal should focus on Phase 1 but must also include a brief, (uncosted), outline of the next stages of work required for exploitation.

When submitting a proposal, you must complete all sections of the online form, including an appropriate level of technical information to allow assessment of the bid and a completed finances section. Completed proposals must comply with the financial rules set for this competition. The upper-limit for this competition is £150K (ex VAT) per proposal. Proposals will be rejected if the financial cost exceeds this capped level. It would also be helpful to include a reference to any current or recent government funding you may have received in the CIED area, if appropriate; making it clear how this proposal differs from this work.

A project plan with clear milestones and deliverables must be provided. Deliverables must be well defined and designed to provide evidence of progress against the project plan and the end-point for this phase; the plan must include a final report. We would expect, wherever possible, that the deliverable would provide executable code, along with any concept demonstrator hardware produced under this work. We would expect reports to provide sufficient detail to allow for a detailed understanding of the concept to inform future funding decisions.

You should also plan for attendance at a kick-off meeting at the start of Phase 1, a mid-project event and an end of project event at the end of Phase 1, as well as regular reviews with the appointed Technical Partner and Project Manager. All meetings will be in the UK. Your proposal must demonstrate how you will complete all activities/services and provide all deliverables within the competition timescales (a maximum of 9 months). Proposals with any deliverables outside the competition timeline will be rejected as non-compliant.

A resourcing plan must also be provided that identifies, where possible, the nationalities of those proposed team /staff members that you intend to work on this phase. In the event of proposals being recommended for funding, DASA reserves the right to undertake due diligence checks including the clearance of proposed team/staff members. Please note that this process will take as long as necessary and could take up to 6 weeks (or longer) in some cases for non-UK Nationals.

You must identify any ethical / legal / regulatory factors within your proposal and how the associated risks will be managed, including break points in the project if approvals are not received. Although we would still aim to keep the overall length of the project to - at most - 9 months from contract placement, MOD Research Ethics Committee (MODREC) approvals can take up to 5 months therefore you should plan your work programme accordingly. Further details are available in the DASA guidance. If you are unsure if your proposal will need to apply for MODREC approval, then please contact DASA for further guidance.

Under UK legislation it is an offence to purposefully deny the use of RF spectrum to legitimate users, i.e. jam transmissions. It is also an offence to intercept communications. Due to the nature of this call there is the potential for some of the techniques and technologies proposed to fall in to this category when used as part of an over-the-air (OTA) RF transmission. For testing and development, OTA transmission may need to be considered and should be mitigated as applicable. It would be prudent to highlight any testing (i.e. OTA) that would be considered an offence under various current UK legislation (other countries are likely to have equivalent regulatory controls) for instance:

• Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006
• Investigatory Powers Act 2016

If your bid includes a proposal for OTA RF transmissions/intercept of communications, as part of a demonstration, please specify whether the legal approvals are in place or are believed to be required or will need to be sought to comply with UK legislation. If an OTA demonstration is required there is an option for MOD to support the application for transmissions, although this will be done on a case by case basis (without commitment) to support in Phase 1 work/deliverables.

Due to the significant legal and regulatory challenges highlighted above it would be useful for bids proposing OTA RF transmissions to suggest an alternative demonstration method, for example a laboratory based demonstration. Please contact DASA for further guidance on these matters if required. Information of how to access this support is provided in the help section, at the end of this document.

Failure to provide any of the above listed will automatically render your proposal non-compliant.

5.2 Export control

All bidders must abide by the export control requirements of their originator country. All relevant export control regulations will apply if a company wants to sell a developed solution to a foreign entity. All bidders must ensure that they can obtain, if required, the necessary export licences for their proposals and developments, such that they can be supplied to the UK. If you cannot confirm that you can obtain the requisite licences, your proposal will be sifted out of the competition.

5.3 Public facing information

When submitting your proposal, you will be required to include a proposal title and a short abstract. If your proposal is funded, the title and abstract you provide will be used by DASA, and other government departments, as appropriate, to describe the project and its intended outcomes and benefits. It will be used for inclusion at DASA events in relation to this competition and included in documentation such as brochures for the event. Your proposal title will also be published in the DASA transparency data on gov.uk, along with your organisations name, the amount of funding, and the start and end dates of your contract.

5.4 How your proposal will be assessed

At assessment Stage 1, all proposals will be checked for compliance against the competition documents Mandatory Criteria and may be rejected before full assessment if they do not comply. Only those proposals who demonstrate their compliance against the competition scope and DASA mandatory criteria will be taken forward to full assessment. Failure to achieve full compliance against Stage 1 will render your proposal non-compliant and will not be considered any further:

Mandatory Criteria for this competition call

The proposal outlines how it meets the outline aims of the DASA call or falls within the scope of the call, including meeting at least one of the challenges	Within scope (Pass) / Out of scope (Fail)
The proposal fully explains, in all three sections of the DASA submission service, how it meets the DASA criteria for this call	Pass/ Fail
The proposal clearly details a financial plan, a project plan and a resourcing plan to complete the work proposed in Phase 1	Pass/ Fail
The proposal identifies the need (or not) for MODREC approval	Pass/ Fail
The proposal identifies the need (or not) for regulatory permissions in related to OTA RF transmissions or the interception of communications	Pass/ Fail
The proposal identifies any Government Furnished Equipment (GFA) required for Phase 1	Pass/ Fail
The maximum value of proposal is £150K	Pass/ Fail
The proposal demonstrates how all research and development activities/services (including the date of the final deliverable) will be completed within 9 months from award of contract (or less)	Pass/ Fail
The bidder has obtained the authority to provide unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Contract	Pass/ Fail

Proposals that pass Stage 1 will then be assessed against the standard DASA assessment criteria (Desirability, Feasibility and Viability) by subject matter experts. You will not have the opportunity to critique assessors’ comments.

DASA reserves the right to disclose, on a confidential basis, any information it receives from bidders during the procurement process, (including information identified by the bidder as Commercially Sensitive Information in accordance with the provisions of this competition), to any third party engaged by DASA for the specific purpose of evaluating or assisting DASA in the evaluation of the bidder’s proposal. In providing such information the bidder consents to such disclosure. Appropriate confidentiality agreements will be put in place.

Further guidance on how your proposal is assessed is available on the DASA website.

After assessment, proposals will be discussed internally at a Decision Conference where, based on the assessments, budget and wider strategic considerations, a decision will be made on the proposals that are recommended for funding.

Proposals that are unsuccessful will receive brief feedback after the Decision Conference.

5.5 Things you should know about DASA contracts

Please read the DASA terms and conditions which contain important information for suppliers. For this competition we will be using Standardised Contracting (SC) Innovation Contract, links to the contract here: Terms and Schedules. We will require unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions. For the avoidance of any doubt, for this Themed Competition we are NOT using the DASA Short Form Contract (SFC).

Funded projects will be allocated a Project Manager (to run the project) and a Technical Partner (as a technical point of contact). In addition, the DASA team will work with you to support delivery and exploitation.

We will use deliverables from DASA contracts in accordance with our rights detailed in the contract terms and conditions.

For this Phase 1 competition, £1.5M is currently available to fund proposals. There may be occasions where additional funding from other funding lines may subsequently become available to allow us to revisit those proposals deemed suitable for funding but where limitations on funding at the time prevented DASA from awarding a subsequent Contract. In such situations, DASA reserves the right to keep such proposals in reserve. In the event that additional funding subsequently becomes available, DASA may ask whether you would still be prepared to undertake the work outlined in your proposal under the same terms.

DASA reserves the right to share information in your proposal in-confidence with any UK Government Department for the specific purposes of considering additional funding for a competition and onward exploitation opportunities. In providing such information you consent to such disclosure. Appropriate confidentiality agreements will be put in place.

6. Phase 1 Dates

Competition closes	1st July 2020, midday (BST)
Contracting	Aim to start September 2020 and end a maximum of 9 months later
Feedback release	30th September 2020

7. Help

DASA has a network of regionally based Innovation Partners who are available provide guidance to suppliers on submitting to a competition. If you would like guidance, please submit an outline of your idea via the DASA website. This will be sent to an Innovation Partner who will contact you within ten working days to discuss.

While all reasonable efforts will be made to answer queries, DASA reserves the right to impose management controls if volumes of queries restrict fair access of information to all potential suppliers.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with the submission service, please contact accelerator@dstl.gov.uk.