NASA GSFC Solicitation: Sole Source Contract Award for the CRaTER Instrument for LRO Mission
Synopsis – Jul 15, 2010
General Information
Solicitation Number: NNG10PA52-R
Posted Date: Jul 15, 2010
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jul 15, 2010
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Jul 30, 2010
Current Response Date: Jul 30, 2010
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 517919 – All Other Telecommunications
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 210.S, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Description
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has a requirement for the award of a new contract with the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) Investigation on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mission as a followon to the current Contract NNG05EB92C with Boston University (BU). UNH, under a subcontract to BU, is currently performing both the flight operations, which includes spacecraft operations planning, scheduling, and engineering parameter review and trending, as well as the science operations which includes initiating all calibration requests to the instrument, planning all instrument modes and turn-ons, data dissemination to the co-investigators and to the general scientific community through the Planetary Data System (PDS).
NASA/GSFC intends to issue a sole-source Request for Proposal (RFP) to UNH. The estimated period of performance of this cost no fee (CNF) contract extension will be for twenty-four (24) months from March 1, 2011 through March 15, 2013. UNH is now the only organization currently qualified to perform the subject requirement for the following reasons: 1) In the fall of 2009, the CRaTER core personnel expertise (Principal Investigator Dr. Harlan Spence, operations staff and science team members) all relocated from BU to UNH, with NASA concurrence. To continue the CRaTER work without interruption, BU initiated a subcontract with UNH. We believe that it is in NASA’s best interest to contract the follow-on work directly with UNH, rather than continuing a contract with BU. 2) This procurement will enable the science and flight operations activities to be merged and carried out at UNH with a substantial university undergraduate and graduate student educational involvement. Only UNH possesses the high level scientific expertise, the detailed knowledge of the CRaTER instrument and LRO spacecraft, the capability to carry out the calibration and operations in a manner in which the scientific operations and the flight operations can be merged. 2) UNH scientists and engineers are unique in their familiarity with the CRaTER instrument design, testing and calibration as well as the LRO spacecraft. From 2005-2009, the UNH team (then resident at BU) designed, fabricated, calibrated, tested, and integrated the CRaTER instrument for the LRO spacecraft, including at the Spacecraft level after delivery to LRO. Under contract NNG05EB92C, the UNH team (while at BU and now UNH) has successfully carried out the science operations of the CRaTER instrument on the LRO spacecraft since LRO launch in June 2009. PI Dr. Spence, now of UNH, as a leading expert in his field of space physics, was selected by NASA Headquarters to lead this investigation, based on an evaluation of his proposal submitted under the Announcement of Opportunity for exploration measurements in NASA’s LRO Mission (AO NNH04ZSS003O). The CRaTER instrument is a state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind instrument. In addition, UNH developed software for: checking telemetry received for health and safety of the instruments, processing the raw data so that scientists can manipulate, display, and analyze the scientific data received, and producing summary data. This effort requires the detailed understanding of the instrument and all related software. Since no other organization was involved with these activities on an in-depth level, no other organization currently has the knowledge and experience to perform the requirement. 3) UNH scientists have helped lead the effort in the community to analyze the images and data products from the CRaTER Instrument, and are currently the only organization with the capability to carry out the combined scientific and instrument operations in conjunction with the educational opportunities.
Statutory authority for this firm-fixed price procurement is 10 U.S.C. 304(c)(1)–Only One Responsible Source. However, organizations who believe they can provide these services without any detrimental impact to the program schedules supported by this work should fully identify their interest and capabilities within 15 days after publication of this synopsis. 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 July 30, 2010. 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. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency.
The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See Note 26. An Ombudsman has been appointed. See NASA Specific Note “B”. Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
Point of Contact
Name: Denise A. Byrd
Title: Contract Specialist
Phone: 301-286-8509
Fax: 301-286-1773
Email: denise.a.byrd@nasa.gov
Name: Julie A. Janus
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 301-286-4931
Fax: 301-286-0341
Email: Julie.A.Janus@nasa.gov
