Delphi

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO) from ARPA-H, titled "Delphi," seeks innovative solutions to revolutionize the cost and performance of biosensors. The program aims to empower Americans with real-time physiological data for early disease detection, continuous monitoring, and precision therapy. The goal is to develop modular wearable or ingestible sensors for a broad range of biological markers.

• Development of modular wearable or ingestible sensors.

• Focus on significantly decreasing cost, size, weight, and power (SWaP) of biosensors.

• Enabling early detection of disease progression and continuous monitoring.

• Anticipated Award(s): Multiple Other Transaction (OT) Agreements.

• Proposer's Day: March 27, 2026

• Solution Summaries Due: April 8, 2026, 5:00 PM ET

• Proposals Due: May 13, 2026, 5:00 PM ET

• Submissions are to be made via the ARPA-H Solution Submission Portal.

• Registration on the portal is required and may take several business days.

• ARPA-H will provide feedback on Solution Summaries, indicating whether a proposal is encouraged or discouraged.

• Open to universities, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and other commercial entities.

• Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and government entities are generally not eligible as prime or sub-performers, unless they possess unique capabilities not otherwise available, which must be documented.

• Foreign entities may participate if they comply with relevant laws and regulations, with specific exclusions for entities of concern or involved in malign foreign talent recruitment programs.

• Entities providing current professional support services to ARPA-H are ineligible for award.

• Proposers must be registered in SAM.gov with a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) at the time of proposal submission and award.

• Resource sharing is encouraged.

• Appendix A provides a detailed program and technical description.

• Appendix B outlines the Solution Summary format.

• Appendix C details proposal format, instructions, and evaluation criteria.

• Appendix D covers administrative and national policy requirements.

• Appendix E is a draft OT agreement.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document, "APPENDIX C: PROPOSAL FORMAT, INSTRUCTIONS, AND EVALUATION," provides detailed guidance for potential bidders on how to format, submit, and what to expect during the evaluation of their proposals. It outlines the requirements for a conforming submission, submission instructions, and the evaluation process.

• Conforming Submission Requirements: Details what constitutes a compliant proposal, including applicability to the solicitation, eligibility, content, formatting, and prior funding restrictions. It also specifies the need to include a company that has designed, fabricated, and sold a microelectronic chip.
• Notices: Informs proposers about the types of notices they may receive during the evaluation process (e.g., request for clarifying details, notice of non-selection, notice of selection).
• Proposal Submission Instructions: Specifies due dates, acceptable file formats (.pdf, .odx, .doc, .docx, xls, .xlsx), formatting requirements (8.5x11 inch paper, 1-inch margins, sans-serif font size 11pt), and page count limitations for various proposal sections.
• Proposal Sections & Page Limits: A matrix detailing required sections such as Technical & Management Proposal, Task Description Document, Price Proposal, Admin National Policy Document, and Draft Other Transaction Agreement, along with their respective page limits.
• Proposal Evaluation: Outlines the proposal review process, handling of selection-sensitive information, and evaluation criteria (Overall Scientific and Technical Merit, Proposer's Capabilities and/or Related Experience, Potential Contribution and Relevance, Assessment of Proposed Cost/Price).
• Policy Requirements: Covers Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), Intellectual Property, Software Component Standards, Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) Policy, Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI), Research Security Disclosures, Electronic Invoicing, Procurement of Synthetic Nucleic Acids, Dangerous Gain-of-Function Research, Government Furnished Property/Equipment/Information, Human Subjects Research, and Vertebrate Animal Subjects Research.

This document is critical for bidders as it dictates the exact requirements for proposal preparation and submission. Adhering to these instructions is essential for a proposal to be considered conforming and to be evaluated favorably. It provides clarity on what ARPA-H is looking for in a proposal, how it will be assessed, and the various policy and regulatory requirements that must be met.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a template for bidders to describe their planned technical tasks and subtasks when submitting a proposal to ARPA-H. It is strongly encouraged for use in proposal development.

• General Objective: Bidders must provide the overall objective of their proposal.
• Task/Subtask Breakdown: Tasks and subtasks should be organized by Phase and Technical Area.
• Task Details: For each task/subtask, provide:
  • Objective
  • Detailed approach
  • Location of performance
  • Responsible organization (prime/sub/consultant)
  • Deliverables (with IP assertion if applicable)
  • Indication of human/animal subject research
  • Measurable milestones with quantitative performance criteria.
• Cross-walk: Tasks and milestones must be cross-referenced to the Price Proposal submission requirements.

This template is critical for structuring technical proposals. Adhering to its format and providing the requested details, especially measurable milestones and the cross-walk to pricing, will be essential for a compliant and competitive submission. Bidders should use this document to clearly articulate their technical approach and ensure alignment with cost proposals.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is the "Administrative And National Policy Requirements Document" that must be completed in full and included as part of the proposal submission. It outlines administrative and national policy requirements for proposers.

• Formatting: Pages must be 8-1/2 by 11-inch with 1-inch margins and a sans-serif font size not smaller than 11 points (8 or 10 point for figures, tables, charts). No page limit. Must be in .pdf, .doc, or .docx formats and in English.
• Cover Page: Requires Proposal Title, Proposer Organization, Technical Point of Contact (TPOC), Administrative POC (APOC), Date of Proposal Submission, and Proposal Validity Period.
• Team Member Identification: List of organizations/institutions comprising the team, including their status and role (prime awardees, sub-awardees, etc.).
• Senior/Key Personnel: Details for each Senior/Key Person, including organization, and confirmation of attached Biographical Sketch, Current & Pending Support Form, and Collaborators and Other Affiliations (COA) document. ARPA-H recommends using SciENcv for BioSketch and Current and Pending Other Support Form.
• FFRDC Participation: Disclosure and justification if an FFRDC is part of the team.
• Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI): Affirmations and disclosures regarding potential conflicts of interest and commitment, including disclosures for senior/key personnel and any team members providing support to ARPA-H.
• Research Security Disclosure: Questions regarding participation in malign foreign talent recruitment programs (FTRP), ownership by foreign entities, and research execution within or reliance on entities in Foreign Countries of Concern (FCOCs).
• Novelty of Proposed Work: Disclosure if the proposed work has been submitted to or funded by other government solicitations.
• Intellectual Property (IP): Identification of background IP or restricted data, its expected role, basis for assertion, associated government rights, and the asserting entity. Specific guidance on rights categories (Unlimited, Government Purpose, Limited, Specially Negotiated/Other) is provided.
• Human Subjects Research (HSR) & Animal Subjects Research (ASR): Disclosure and documentation requirements if the proposed work involves HSR or ASR, including IRB/IACUC review and assurance numbers.
• Representations: Proposer representations regarding unpaid delinquent tax liability or felony conviction.
• Cybersecurity: Description of the organization's cybersecurity program, standards used, incident response capabilities, and experience managing Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
• Biosecurity: Disclosure regarding dangerous gain-of-function research and procurement of synthetic nucleic acids or benchtop nucleic acid synthesis equipment.

This document is critical for proposal preparation. Bidders must complete all required sections accurately and ensure all supporting documentation (BioSketches, COA, OCI plans, IP assertions, etc.) is correctly formatted and attached as specified. Failure to comply may impact proposal evaluation and acceptance.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document outlines the "Delphi" program, a solicitation for proposals to develop an open, extensible platform for modular, chiplet-based wearable and ingestible biosensors. The goal is to enable continuous, low-cost, high-performance monitoring of biological markers for early disease detection, personalized treatment, and improved health outcomes. The program aims to revolutionize biosensor cost and performance by leveraging chiplet architecture.

The program is structured around four Technical Areas (TAs) that must be addressed by proposers:

• TA1: Dry Chiplets Unique to Biosensing: Develop a common packaging and interconnect strategy, ultra-low power management chiplets, and secure medical data transmission chiplets.

• TA2: Wet Biosensing Chiplets: Develop biology-facing sensors for detecting deep biological information (e.g., hormones, cytokines) with durable surface chemistries.

• TA3: Biocompatible Encapsulation: Develop encapsulation methods that protect electronics while exposing the sensing interface to the biological environment, ensuring biocompatibility and long-term reliability.

• TA4: Human Factors Testing or Clinical Trial: Conduct usability testing for non-invasive devices or clinical trials for minimally invasive devices.

• This is a 54-month, 3-phase program.

• Phase I (24 months): Component and process development.

• Phase II (18 months): Integration and preclinical testing.

• Phase III (12 months): Clinical trials and scaling for manufacturing.

• Proposals must address all four TAs.

• Proposers must select either a non-invasive or minimally invasive track for TA4.

• The program seeks multidisciplinary teams with expertise in chiplet design, biosensing, and encapsulation.

• Not specified in this document.

• The program emphasizes interoperability and collaboration among teams.

• Proposers must identify a targeted disease or health indication and justify their choice.

• The program aims to lower the cost of biosensors and is agnostic to the targeted disease.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document, "APPENDIX B_Solution Summary Format and Instructions," provides the required format and detailed instructions for bidders to submit their Solution Summaries for the "Innovative Solutions Opening Title" opportunity. It outlines the specific sections and information that must be included in the submission.

• Organizational Information: Requires details on the Prime Organization, including type, UEI (if available), contact address, key personnel, and Points of Contact (POCs) for technical and administrative matters. It also includes sections for Sub-Awardees and Consultant Team Members, detailing their organization name, Technical POC, and organization type.
• Project Details: Includes fields for estimated project duration, whether animal or human subjects are involved, and the total funds requested from ARPA-H. Resource sharing details (Gov't % and Performer %) are also required.
• Place of Performance: A field to specify the location(s) where the work will be performed.
• Solution Summary Content: Mandates specific sections for Concept Summary, Innovation and Impact, Proposed Work, Team Organization and Capabilities, and Basis of Estimate (BOE). Detailed instructions are provided for each section, emphasizing clarity, innovation, impact, technical merit, feasibility, team expertise, and cost breakdown.
• Formatting Requirements: Specifies submission deadlines, acceptable file formats (.pdf, .odx, .doc, .docx), language (English), and page formatting (8-1/2 by 11-inch paper, 1-inch margins, sans serif font size not smaller than 11 point, with exceptions for figures/tables). Sections 1-4 are limited to 6 pages total.
• References Cited: A section for bibliographic information of cited references, which is not included in the page limit.

This document is critical for bidders as it dictates the structure, content, and formatting requirements for their Solution Summary submission. Adhering to these instructions is essential for a compliant and competitive proposal. It guides bidders on what information to gather and how to present it effectively to address the opportunity's objectives and evaluation criteria.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a template for bidders to submit their technical and management proposals. It outlines the required sections and provides guidance on content and page limits for each.

• Proposal Structure: Includes sections for Proposal Summary, Goals and Impact, Technical Plan, Risk Mitigation, Commercialization Strategy, Capabilities/Management Plan, Biographical Information, and References Cited.
• Page Limits: Specific page limits are defined for most sections (e.g., Commercialization Strategy Narrative - max 3 pages, Capabilities/Management Plan - max 2 pages). The total page limit for sections 1-7 is 30 pages. Gantt charts and biographical/reference sections are exempt from page limits.
• Content Guidance: Provides specific questions to address within the Proposal Summary and details on what to include in other sections like Goals and Impact, Technical Plan, and Commercialization Strategy.
• Team Information: Requires details on sub-awardees, consultants, key personnel, and points of contact.
• Specific Requirements: Includes sections for Animal/Human Subjects, Total Funds Requested, and Resource Sharing.

This template is critical for bidders to understand the structure, content expectations, and formatting requirements for their proposal submission. Adhering to these guidelines is essential for a compliant and competitive proposal.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a template for bidders to submit their price proposal. It outlines the required format and categories for detailing costs associated with the opportunity.

• Total Price: Overall cost inclusive of all phases and resource sharing.
• Phase-Specific Pricing: Breakdown of costs for Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III.
• Resource Sharing: Details on government and performer resource sharing, including percentages and dollar amounts.
• Level of Effort and Labor: Requires detailed labor categories, fully burdened rates, and estimated hours.
• Equipment Purchases: Itemized list of equipment with quantities, unit prices, proposed vendors, and basis of estimate. Items over $10,000 require supporting documentation.
• Travel: Justification for proposed trips and their relation to project tasks.
• Other Direct Costs (ODCs): List of anticipated ODCs with explanations of their contribution to the project.
• Resource Sharing Details: Source, nature, and amount of proposed resource sharing, including commitment details.

This template is critical for bidders to structure their pricing submissions accurately. It dictates how costs must be presented across different categories and phases, ensuring compliance with the solicitation's financial requirements. Bidders must provide detailed justifications and supporting documentation as specified to ensure their price proposal is complete and competitive.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a price proposal spreadsheet (Appendix C.4) that requires bidders to detail their proposed costs for the opportunity. It includes instructions and templates for various cost components.

• Team Structure Sheet: Requires listing all proposed participants (Prime/Performer, Sub Performer, Consultant) and their legal names. Entries here populate dropdown lists on other sheets.
• Milestones and Deliverables Sheet: Requires detailed information for each phase, including task/subtask numbers, titles, total prices, involved organizations and their associated prices, description/approach, exit criteria/metrics, milestone deliverables, and start/end/due dates.
• Labor Sheet: Requires listing proposed labor categories, the proposing organization, estimated hours, and associated tasks/subtasks for each phase.
• Equipment Sheet: Requires information on equipment with a unit price of $10,000 or more, including associated tasks, organization, description, quantity, unit price, total price, vendor/source, and basis of estimate.
• Travel Sheet: Requires details on proposed travel, including purpose, associated tasks, destination, duration, organizations involved, and number of travelers for each performance period.

This spreadsheet is critical for bidders to structure and submit their detailed cost proposals. It outlines the specific information required for labor, materials, equipment, travel, and team composition, ensuring a comprehensive and compliant pricing submission. Bidders must accurately complete all sections as per the provided instructions to meet the solicitation's pricing requirements.

Other / Unclassified

This document is a draft Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) between the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and a Performer for the "Delphi" program. The agreement outlines the terms and conditions for research and development focused on improving biosensor development ecosystems through a chiplet-based architecture. The goal is to enable low-cost, high-performance wearable or ingestible sensors for monitoring biological markers. The document details the scope of the agreement, term, management structure, points of contact, payment terms, dispute resolution, intellectual property rights, foreign access to IP, tangible property disposition, public release of information, and various other legal and regulatory requirements.

This document is crucial for potential bidders as it defines the contractual framework and expectations for the Delphi program. Key areas of interest for bidders include:

• Scope of Work: Focuses on developing modular wearable or ingestible sensors using a chiplet-based architecture for continuous monitoring of biological markers, addressing limitations in current wearable technologies.
• Term: The agreement has a term of fifty-four (54) months.
• Payment: Payments are milestone-based, tied to deliverables outlined in Attachment 3.
• Intellectual Property Rights: Details how both the Performer and ARPA-H will hold rights to inventions and data generated during the project. Performers generally retain title to subject inventions but grant ARPA-H a Government Purpose license.
• Reporting Requirements: Outlines various reports including technical status, program plans, special technical reports, milestone reports, and a final report (Attachment 2).
• Deliverables: Specific deliverables are tied to milestones as detailed in Attachment 3.
• Special Terms & Conditions: Includes limitations on salary rates, requirements for human and animal subjects research, and prohibitions on certain telecommunications equipment.

Potential bidders should carefully review the scope, deliverables, IP terms, and special conditions to assess their ability to meet the program's objectives and comply with the agreement's requirements.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document is an Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO) for the "Delphi" program, issued by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The program aims to revolutionize biosensor cost and performance to empower Americans with a better understanding of their bodies. It seeks to develop modular wearable or ingestible sensors for monitoring a broad range of biological markers, enabling early disease detection, continuous monitoring for recovery, and precision therapy.

• Development of modular wearable or ingestible sensors.

• Focus on chiplet technology and a new system architecture in microelectronics.

• Goal to decrease cost, size, weight, and power (SWaP) of biosensors.

• Anticipated award(s): Multiple Other Transaction (OT) Agreements.

• Proposer's Day: March 27, 2026

• Solution Summaries due date: April 8, 2026, 5:00 PM ET

• Proposals due date: May 13, 2026, 5:00 PM ET

• Submissions are to be made via the ARPA-H Solution Submission Portal.

• Registration in SAM.gov is required for proposal submission and award.

• A two-step process involving Solution Summaries followed by full proposals.

• ARPA-H will provide feedback on Solution Summaries, indicating whether a full proposal is encouraged or discouraged.

• Open to universities, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and other commercial entities.

• Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and government entities are generally prohibited from participating as prime or sub-performers, unless they possess unique capabilities not otherwise available.

• Entities providing current professional support to ARPA-H are ineligible for awards.

• Foreign entities may participate if they comply with relevant regulations, with specific exclusions for entities of concern and malign foreign talent recruitment programs.

• This is a DRAFT ISO and not an invitation for proposals or solution summaries.

• Resource sharing is encouraged.

• Detailed information on proposal format, instructions, and evaluation is provided in Appendix C.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document is Appendix A to a solicitation, providing a detailed technical description for the "Delphi" program. The program aims to develop a modular, chiplet-based platform for wearable and ingestible biosensors to enable continuous, low-cost, high-performance monitoring of biological markers. The goal is to empower individuals with real-time physiological data for early disease detection, personalized treatment, and improved health outcomes.

The program is structured into four Technical Areas (TAs) that proposers must address:

• TA1: Dry Chiplets Unique to Biosensing: Develop a common, scalable, and cost-effective packaging and interconnect strategy for chiplets. This includes developing chiplets for ultra-low power management and secure medical data transmission.

• TA2: Wet Biosensing Chiplets: Develop biology-facing sensors integrated into chiplets for continuous tracking of deep biological information (e.g., hormones, cytokines). This requires durable surface chemistries and methods compatible with clean room processing.

• TA3: Biocompatible Encapsulation: Develop encapsulation strategies to protect electronics while allowing selective exposure of the sensor to the biological environment, ensuring biocompatibility and long-term reliability.

• TA4: Human Factors Testing or Clinical Trial: Develop a plan for either non-invasive human factors evaluation (for wellness-focused wearables) or minimally invasive human clinical trials (for FDA-regulated devices).

• The program is a 54-month, 3-phase effort.

• Phase I (24 months): Component and process development.

• Phase II (18 months): Integration and preclinical testing.

• Phase III (12 months): Clinical trials/human factors testing and scaling for manufacturing.

• Proposals must address all four TAs.

• Proposers must choose one of two tracks for TA4: non-invasive or minimally invasive.

• The program seeks to establish a standard chiplet foundation that is modular and interoperable.

• Not explicitly stated in this appendix, but the program aims to lower the cost of biosensors for broad accessibility.

• The document emphasizes the need for interoperability and collaboration between teams.

• Proposals should detail strategies for scaling production and commercialization.

• ARPA-H will support efforts through Phase I clinical trials for minimally invasive devices.