RFS RARE EARTH ELEMENTS (REE) INITIATIVES   7

Background
This Request for Solutions (RFS) is issued under Other Transaction Authority (OTA) in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022 to develop two Rare Earth Element (REE) Initiatives Prototype Projects for the Department of Defense. The goal is to promote domestic REE recovery and separation technologies to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign sources.

The Government intends to award one or more OTA agreements for: REE Recovery Demonstration and REE Separation Technology Capabilities.

Work Details
The contract will support two stand-alone prototype projects:

• Topic 1: REE Recovery Demonstration Prototype Project – Recover REEs and Critical Minerals (CM) from acid mine drainage (AMD) and coal byproducts.
Requirements:
– Acquire AMD feedstocks from West Virginia integrated facilities, small discharges, U.S. metal mines, and NATO/NTIB partners.
– Demonstrate commercial scalability toward fully continuous, automated operations.
Deliverables:
– Monthly status reports (performance, schedule, funding, risk, metrics)
– Project Execution Plan at 2 months
– Quarterly Project Management Reviews (PMRs)
– Main Project Deliverables at 11 months (efficacy of REE/CM separation, commercialization feasibility, deployment locations, DoD supply support, scalability)
– Final Project Report at 12 months

• Topic 2: REE Separation Technology Capabilities Prototype Project – Develop separation processes exceeding conventional solvent extraction (CSX) rates.
Requirements:
– Baseline CSX shake-flask test and demonstration of improved separation efficiency for both light and heavy REEs.
– Continuous tonnage-scale processing capability and advancement of Technology Readiness Level (TRL).
Deliverables:
– Monthly status reports
– Project Execution Plan at 2 months
– Quarterly PMRs
– Main Deliverables at 23 months (techno-economic analysis vs. CSX, heavy/light REE separation substantiation, TRL advancement, commercial feasibility, process parameters/equipment)
– Final Project Report at 24 months

Pricing:
Fixed price per topic with milestones (not to exceed $3M for Topic 1, $4M for Topic 2), including Basis of Estimate and ROM for follow-on production.

Period of Performance
Topic 1: up to 12 months from award.
Topic 2: up to 24 months from award.

Place of Performance
United States – prototype deployment in West Virginia for REE Recovery (Topic 1); domestic U.S. and Canada for REE Separation (Topic 2).

Bidder Requirements
Offerors must meet 10 U.S.C. § 4022(d)(1) OTA eligibility. Proposals must include:
- Security vetting (Attachment 8)
- Data Rights Assertion Table (Attachment 2) granting Government Purpose Rights for five years and transferable licenses for COTS software with updates/support
- Compliance with ITAR, DoD NISPOM, and Commerce Export Regulations
- A resource-loaded Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM)
- Pricing breakout, Basis of Estimate, and ROM
- Demonstration of relevant experience in REE recovery or separation
- Adherence to foreign disclosure and distribution statement requirements