NASA ARC Academic Mission Support Sources Sought Notice
Synopsis – Aug 22, 2013
Draft Document – Posted on Aug 22, 2013
General Information
Solicitation Number: NNA14488849L
Posted Date: Aug 22, 2013
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Aug 22, 2013 Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Sep 06, 2013 Current Response Date: Sep 06, 2013
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541712
Contracting Office Address NASA/Ames Research Center, JA:M/S 241-1, Moffett Field, CA 94035-0001
Description
Ames Research Center (ARC) is one of ten National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) centers across the United States and is one of the four NASA field centers with a primary focus on Research and Development (R&D) in science and technology. In many specific discipline areas ARC is recognized as world-class in its undertakings, both in fundamental research supporting NASA programmatic requirements and in NASA mission-relevant applications. Typical efforts at ARC include information technology, advanced supercomputing, aerospace and aeronautics research and engineering, exploration technology and space-based life sciences. This is only a partial listing of ARC’s overall science and technology development portfolio.
ARC responds to the priorities established by NASA’s Mission Directorates as informed by the Science and Technology communities and directed by law. As stakeholder’s interests evolve, so do ARC’s science and technology efforts. As an example, ARC consolidated many existing research competencies under the aegis of astrobiology in the last decade of the twentieth century including biology, geology, astronomy, planetary sciences, and organic chemistry. Astrobiology retains its importance at ARC with emerging capability in synthetic biology for human space exploration applications.
ARC seeks to expand public and private partnerships and sustain its long term commitment to education and outreach. Students of accredited institutions of higher learning constitute NASA’s future workforce and historically have made significant contributions to NASA research goals. ARC intends to develop a productive partnership with an academic institution or consortium of such colleges and universities which would include the active and direct engagement of students in activities integrated with their academic undertakings.
ARC’s legacy efforts under the University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) contract addressed basic and applied research across multiple disciplines and ARC expects the new NASA Academic Mission Services (NAMS) contract to likewise include research on a wide range of scientific and technical subjects.
ARC’s managing organizations, known as Directorates, perform various R&D functions and provide science and operational mission management for the agency. ARC personnel collaborate with colleagues and counterparts at other NASA centers, with other federal agencies, academia and non-profit organizations, professional science, engineering, and technology associations and with industry partners. Many of ARC’s programs and projects are multidisciplinary. For these reasons it is essential to acquire and enable direct participatory support from leading scientists, engineers, and researchers to complement the existing expertise of NASA personnel and expand ARC’s research competencies.
ARC encourages responses to this notice from any interested party including Academic Institutions and Non-Profit Organizations, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI), Large, Small, Small Disadvantaged (SDB), 8(a), Woman-owned (WOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), Veteran Owned (VOSB), Service Disabled Veteran Owned (SDVOSB) and SBA certified Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) businesses.
Interested parties should submit capability statements as described below. Information received as a result of this notice will be considered by the Government and used for acquisition planning purposes only. An interested parties list will be posted. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited.
THE WORK WILL BE PERFORMED PRIMARILY AT ARC, MOFFETT FIELD, CA.
*SEE ATTACHED DRAFT STATEMENT OF WORK*.
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541712, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) with a size standard of 500 employees.
Estimated award date for this contract is 14 September 2014. Maximum award amount is estimated at $50 MILLION per year, for 5 years. The Government plans to award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, with a base period of two years with one three-year option. A multiple award IDIQ contract may also be considered. This contract will continue, modify and expand requirements currently being performed under contract NAS2-03144, with the University of California.
No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offeror’s responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.
All responses shall be submitted to Jeremy Messer, Contracting Officer, jeremy.r.messer@nasa.gov, no later than 06 September 2013. Responses must use twelve point Times New Roman and PDF format. The Government requests separate pdf files for each of the following sections: 1) Statement of Capability; 2) Contracting Approach; and 3) Management Approach.
Section 1: Technical Capabilities responses: No more than ten (10) pages. Please provide the following: capabilities in each of the SOW technical areas; organization’s name and address, DUNS number, type and size of business; average annual revenue for past 3 years and number of employees; ownership; whether the firm is an academic institution or non -profit organization, large, small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), Woman-owned or Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned, Veteran Owned, Service Disabled Veteran Owned business, or an SBA certified Historically Underutilized Business Zone or Historically Black College or University (HBCU) or Minority Institution; number of years in business; affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, potential teaming partners, prime contractor (if potential sub) or subcontractors (if potential prime); and list of customers covering the past five years (highlight relevant work performed, contract numbers, contract type, dollar value of each procurement; point of contact – email, address and phone number).
Section 2: Contracting Approach responses: There is no limit on the page length to your response to Section 2: Contracting Approach.
1) Small Business Participation: ARC is committed to providing small businesses with maximum practicable opportunities to participate in NASA prime contracts and subcontracts. Information about NASA’s Office of Small Business programs is located here: http://www.osbp.nasa.gov/index.html
It is anticipated that FAR 52.219-9 Small Business Subcontracting Plan (July 2013) will be included in any resulting solicitation for these requirements; therefore, small business goals will be established for this requirement, small business participation will be considered in proposal evaluation and subcontracting plans will be required with proposal submittal.
ARC is, therefore, interested in your input on small business participation in these requirements, small business subcontracting opportunities and subcontracting goals for small business, Service-Disabled Veteran-owned small business, Small-Disadvantaged business, Women-owned small business, Veteran-owned small business, Service-Disabled Veteran-owned small business, Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI), and HUBZone small business.
2) It was stated previously that the Government plans to award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. Please discuss the appropriateness of this or any other contract type for this requirement. Please discuss the advantages or disadvantages of a single or multiple award. Please provide input on the following:
a) Performance incentives: types of fee (e.g. incentive fee, award fee), use of options, and/or other appropriate incentives for contractor performance; and
b) In a mixed-team (Government/Contractor) environment where civil servants and contractor employees work side by side, how would you propose to measure factors such as technical/cost/schedule performance, risk mitigation, employee and asset safety and security, best practices, quality of service to users, responsiveness to changing requirements and budget, and identification of opportunities for technical and administrative improvement and cost savings.
3) Technical Information: What type of technical information along with the Statement of Work would you like to see with a potential solicitation (e.g. sample tasks)?
4) Content/Structure: Suggest improvements in the structure or substance of the draft SOW.
5) Please provide an estimate of the percentage of work anticipated to be performed by the prime Contractor and each major subcontractor.
5) An interested parties list will be posted shortly after the receipt of responses to this announcement. Please indicate if you would like to be included in the interested parties list for this effort. If so, please include the following: a) name of interested party (organization) b) address c) Point of Contact (POC) name, email address, phone number, and fax number (as applicable), d) type and size of organization (include small business socio economic status if applicable), e) area of expertise.
Section 3: Management Approach: There is no limit on the number of pages for your response to Section 3: Management Approach.
Address your organization’s capability to manage a broad R&D contract covering a range of science and technology disciplines as well as multi- and interdisciplinary work. A strong, efficient management approach is of the utmost importance when serving as the prime contractor on a task order IDIQ contract.
1) Describe your experience with IDIQ/Task order R&D contracts and similar vehicles.
Describe past and anticipated efforts to:
2) Create and utilize relationships with academic institutions to provide capable faculty and student researchers to focus their knowledge and expertise on ARC-identified needs as described in the Draft SOW.
3) Manage task-related delivery time commitments and cost controls. Please provide up to three examples of successful implementation of cost-saving measures in your response.
4) Recognize and address sustainability. Please address economic (cost-controls, budgetary, value), social (human resources training and retention, work/commute alternatives) and environmental (resources, materials, waste-reduction) considerations.
5) Manage increased workloads and decreased turn-around times at times of heightened activity, such as renewing task orders at the end of a fiscal year or option period. If you have an example of your performance in this area, please provide it with your response.
6) Ensure adherence to Export Controls and ITAR regulations.
7) Prevent/mitigate organizational conflicts of interest.
8) Maintain information security and secure Personally Identifiable Information.
Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101. Questions should be submitted by 29 August 2013 via email only to: Jeremy Messer, Contracting Officer, jeremy.r.messer@nasa.gov.
**Please reference “NAMS Sources Sought Notice, Market Research” in any response.**
NASA Clause 1852.215.84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html . The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be released to the public over the Internet. These documents will posted on the NASA/ARC Business Opportunities website at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=21 . It is the interested party’s responsibility to monitor the above internet site for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Interested parties will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (as applicable).
Information about major upcoming ARC procurement actions is available at http://ec.msfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eis/admin/admin.cgi?center=ARC .
Point of Contact
Name: Jeremy R Messer Title: Contracting Officer Phone: 650-604-0667 Fax: 650-604-4646 Email: Jeremy.R.Messer@nasa.gov
Name: Justin C. Pane Title: Contracting Officer Phone: 650-604-5621 Fax: 650-604-0932 Email: justin.c.pane@nasa.gov
