NASA GSFC Solicitation: Continued Performance Under The Hubble Space Telescope Instrument Servicing Contract

Synopsis – Jun 20, 2007

General Information

Solicitation Number: N/A
Reference Number: NAS5-98040
Posted Date: Jun 20, 2007
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jun 20, 2007
Original Response Date: Jun 30, 2007
Current Response Date: Jun 30, 2007
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541710 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences

Contracting Office Address

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 210.S, Greenbelt, MD 20771

Description

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) intends to issue a sole source Request for Proposals (RFP) to Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation (BATC) for continued performance under the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Instrument Servicing (HIS) contract.

This continued performance is required to ensure uninterrupted support to cover existing and potential repairs to HST science instruments through Servicing Mission 4 (SM4).

The HIS contract was awarded in 1998 as an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to maximize long-term HST science return through repair and re-use of previously developed hardware and software and common support functions. The HIS contract allows the Government to leverage this unique opportunity by achieving efficient, optimized use and allocation of common resources. Due to numerous programmatic changes, which have resulted in delays of SM4 to the current September 2008 schedule, continued support is required to complete the effort needed for SM4. In order to meet the HST SM4 schedule, and provide the specialized expertise to implement instrument repair solutions, a sole source procurement from BATC is required. No other companies have the knowledge and understanding of the unique HST instruments who can provide the flight hardware in time to support the September 2008 launch date.

BATC has designed, built, assembled, integrated and tested three generations of flight instruments for HST. There are currently four instruments on HST built by BATC and they are providing new instruments for SM4. The continued operations will allow Ball to continue support for on-orbit anomaly investigation as well as hardware for the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) repairs that are planned for SM4.

BATC will continue support of overall HST on-orbit instrument servicing and anomaly resolution; participate as a member of the Independent Team to review the current HST instrument power supply designs; provide flight-quality power supply electronics boxes and CCD Electronics Boxes (CEB) for ACS repair; provide support for designing the interfaces to the ACS power connector; complete development of the STIS repair; and provide support for testing and evaluating system performance for Engineering and Flight Model builds of the instrument repair solutions. The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12.

Statutory authority for this sole source procurement is 10 U.S.C. 2304 ( C ) (1)–Only One Responsible Source.

However, organizations that believe they can provide these services without any detrimental impact to the program schedules, may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 3:00PM EST on June 30, 2007. 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 qualified responsible sources may submit an offer, which shall be considered by the agency. An Ombudsman has been appointed. See NASA specific Note “B”.

Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URL’s linked below.

Point of Contact

Name: NATESA R ROBINSON
Title: CONTRACT SPECIALIST
Phone: 301-286-9485
Fax: 301-286-1670
Email: natesa.r.robinson@nasa.gov