COTA: SAMDIB – Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) and inorganic microLEDs Domestic Manufacturing of Microdisplays.

U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command – Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC), Rock Island, IL, on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy via its Innovation Capability and Modernization Program (10 U.S.C. § 4817), in conjunction with Army Contracting Command – Rock Island (ACC-RI), manages the Cornerstone Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022. Cornerstone was architected to create a broad-based, flexible, and enduring public-private Consortium focused on strategic strengthening of the U.S. Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and provide a strong complement to the mandates in Presidential Executive Order 13806. ACC-RI, on behalf of DEVCOM CBC, intends to issue a competitive Cornerstone Initiative Request (CIR) on or before October 15, 2024; for SAMDIB Project Call – Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) and inorganic microLEDs Domestic Manufacturing of Microdisplays.

Microdisplays provide critical capability within warfighting systems. The technologies and prototypes produced in the microdisplay effort seek to enhance the way these devices are developed, modernized, and sustained across the weapons system lifecycle. This effort broadens micro display manufacturing to provide a prototype at the DoD Enterprise scale, reducing the cost and enhancing the way micro display devices are developed, modernized, and sustained across the weapons system lifecycle.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) technologies are a highly efficient and bright source of compact single pixel emitters for displays that have the potential to simultaneously meet all of the performance goals. Both organic LEDs (OLEDs) and inorganic microLEDs have been successfully integrated into microdisplay arrays. The nature of LED technologies at the microscopic scale makes cost-effective production of full-color high brightness microdisplays difficult to achieve.

The objective of this prototype is to provide production improvements needed to establish a reliable microdisplay supply chain such as (1) enhancing contaminant detection and encapsulation to reduce defects and increase yield and uniformity, (2) implementing early mortality detection tools to limit process time lost on bad chips on the wafer, (3) upgrading manufacturing tools to reduce single point failures and enable more automated processing, (4) developing methods and capabilities to produce larger formats and uniquely sized displays, and (5) bringing microdisplay manufacturing to facilities within the United States and territories.

Subject to funding, the Cornerstone CIR will solicit prototype fixed-priced proposals, with the potential for awarding up to two (2) OTA Agreements with incremental payments made upon completion of specific milestones. The period of performance is estimated to be 60 months. A non-competitive follow-on production OT may be awarded following a successful prototype.

Any OT awarded as a result of this initiative will incorporate the following clauses: FAR clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment DFARS clause 252.232-7006, WAWF Payment Instructions DFARS clause 252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting.

The CIR for Project Call (OLED) is restricted to Cornerstone Consortium members only and will be communicated to the Cornerstone Consortium and companies with pending applications via email. Entities are required to have begun the membership process for their proposal to be reviewed.

Entities must have an active registration in SAM.gov, a favorable status in Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information Systems, and be members of the Cornerstone Consortium, with a signed Cornerstone Consortium Management Agreement, to be eligible to submit a proposal and be eligible for award of an OTA task. Contractors may obtain Cornerstone registration information located at https://cornerstone.army.mil orby inquiring at: usarmy.ria.devcom-cbc.mbx.cornerstone-ota@army.mil.

Interested parties should stay alert for any changes that may be published to this SAM.gov posting. Questions can be emailed to usarmy.ria.devcom-cbc.mbx.cornerstone-ota@army.mil stating "Project Call (OLED)" in the subject line. This Special Notice is for planning purposes only and does not constitute a CIR or an obligation on behalf of the U.S. Government. Issuance of this Special Notice is not a guarantee of a future CIR or an award and is not a commitment of any kind by the Government.