NASA Climate Analysis For President’s Malaria Initiative Impact Evaluation Reports

General Information

    Solicitation Number: NNM14535472R

    Posted Date: Dec 04, 2014

    FedBizOpps Posted Date: Dec 04, 2014

    Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No

    Original Response Date: Dec 17, 2014

    Current Response Date: Dec 17, 2014

    Classification Code: A — Research and Development

    NAICS Code: 541712

Contracting Office Address

NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812

Description

NASA/MSFC has a requirement for continued support in the development of climate analysis for the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) impact evaluation reports. This support will advance the Regional Visualization and Monitoring System’s (SERVIR) climate services in additional countries in Africa.

NASA/MSFC intends to purchase the items from Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). Competition is impractical for the following reasons:

1. This procurement is a continuation of activities already being conducted by IRI supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and other stakeholders. NASA, implementing SERVIR in partnership with USAID, has been requested by USAID to leverage existing investments particularly of those made by USAID. Award to any other entity would fail to leverage the synergy of the ongoing efforts and result in duplication of costs that would not be recovered through competition.

2. IRI is the only contractor who can meet the current requirements of SERVIR in the near term time frame. To expedite the process of designing new products, the services being sought are uniquely designed to build upon the relationships and experience that IRI already possess. IRI has a history of engagement with stakeholders throughout Africa, and IRI has specialized knowledge necessary to satisfy the requirements from the agreement with USAID. Working with an organization other than IRI would involve a significant loss in previously gained experience and effort, and would consume considerably more time.

3. The Interagency Agreement between NASA and USAID, Participating Agency Program Agreement (PAPA) #AEG-T-00-06-00008-00, for which this activity is funded expires on September 30, 2015, which means implementation must cease even if all activities are not completed by that date. Likewise, the funds will have reached its five-year allocation and also expire on September 30, 2015, which would require any unused funds to be returned to Congress. Since starting this procurement from scratch with a new entity would require considerably more time, implementation would need to extend beyond the period of performance and thus NASA would fail to satisfy the requirements of the interagency agreement.

4. Funds available and dedicated to SERVIR from USAID under PAPA #AEG-T-00-06-00008-00 included a stipulation that a portion of the funds be dedicated specifically to stakeholder engagement to understand and build demand for climate information products. Furthermore, USAID specifically identified IRI as an institution with whom SERVIR should partner, given IRI’s engagement in the regions and IRI’s proven approaches for designing and delivering climate services to address critical regional needs in East Africa.

5. NASA/MSFC has had a contract with IRI in the past and completed a successful collaboration with IRI involving the integration of information products into SERVIR’s geospatial platform and in performing similar PMI impact evaluations in other countries in East Africa. IRI is performing related work for SERVIR for different countries, under a SERVIR Applied Sciences Team effort (funded by NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences solicitation). SERVIR can leverage IRI’s experience to quickly implement expansion of these climate services to other countries in Africa, and thus satisfy the additional technical requirements from USAID.

6. SERVIR is a high-visibility project at NASA/MSFC, NASA/HQ, and USAID. It is of benefit to NASA to deepen its affiliation with IRI, since IRI is a globally recognized institution with goals highly complementary to SERVIR’s mission of enhancing developing country government stakeholders’ capability to understand, anticipate, and manage the impacts of climate change. Therefore, it is beneficial for NASA to continue its formal relationship with IRI.

The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12.

Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 4:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, December 17, 2014. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government.

Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.

All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency.

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 .

Point of Contact

    Name:Iris Walter

    Title:Contracts Administrator

    Phone:256-961-7054

    Fax:256-961-7148

    Email:Iris.R.Walter@nasa.gov

    Name:Jennifer B. McCaghren

    Title:Contracting Officer

    Phone:256-544-5189

    Fax:256-544-4400

    Email: jennifer.b.mccaghren@nasa.gov