NASA Solicitation: Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities
Synopsis – Jul 17, 2013
General Information
Solicitation Number: NASA-CCSC-01
Posted Date: Jul 17, 2013
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jul 17, 2013
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Aug 07, 2013
Current Response Date: Aug 07, 2013
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541712
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas, 77058-3696, Mail Code: BH
Description
NASA encourages innovative and entrepreneurial efforts within the private sector to develop new space-related capabilities. These new capabilities may result in opportunities for industry to provide cost-effective commercial products and services to low Earth orbit and beyond for the Government and other customers. In pursuit of the goals of the National Space Policy and NASA’s strategic plan, NASA is continuing its efforts to foster the development of new industrial space-related capabilities that will lead to education and job growth in science and engineering and spur economic growth as capabilities for new space markets are created.
Based on the responses to this synopsis, NASA may solicit proposals from all interested U.S. private enterprises that wish to enter into Space Act Agreements (SAA) for collaboration on emerging commercial space capabilities. The purpose of the agreements would be to advance entrepreneurial space-related efforts by facilitating access to NASA’s vast spaceflight resources including technical expertise, assessments, lessons learned, technologies, and data. Additional Government provided resources such as access to facilities and services will be evaluated on a case by case basis depending on the degree of benefit to both parties. With this activity, NASA intends to focus on facilitating the development of integrated space capabilities, not individual technologies or subsystem development efforts. Should a solicitation go forward, NASA would use its other transactions authority within the National Aeronautics and Space Act, 51 U.S.C. S 20113(e), to enter into multiple SAAs where each party bears the cost of its participation, and there is no exchange of funds between the parties.
The SAAs resulting from any potential solicitation will serve as an agency-level mechanism for NASA and its partners to agree to a series of mutually beneficial activities that are expected to be consistent with NASA’s 2011 Strategic Plan. There must be specific, identifiable benefits to one or more elements of Strategic Goal 1 to extend and sustain human activities across the solar system. The goal of the SAAs would be to advance private sector development of integrated space capabilities so that the emerging products or services are commercially available to government and non-government customers within approximately the next five years.
This activity would be an additional opportunity to partner with NASA and is not intended to preclude ongoing or future partnership discussions directly with the NASA centers. NASA will only consider proposals from U.S. private enterprises (including non-profit organizations) or commercial providers as defined by the Commercial Space Act of 1998. There may be future opportunities for the private sector to submit proposals to NASA for these types of agreements after the initial selections are made.
To assist NASA in preparing for this potential competition, please notify the point of contact listed in this synopsis of your interest by August 7, 2013. Your non-binding letter of intent should include the company name, point of contact, address, phone number, email, brief description of the space capability planned to be developed, and nature of interest as either a primary participant or team member. NASA intends to use information submitted in response to this synopsis in the formulation of one or more solicitations seeking competitive proposals related to the initiatives described herein. The Government intends to release the company names, addresses, and points of contact of all respondents unless specifically requested not to do so by the respondent. This information will be provided on the competition website in an “Interested Parties List” to allow potential participants the opportunity to network. NASA will not affirmatively release any other information received in response to this synopsis to the public. Any information submitted in response to this synopsis that is marked as “Confidential Commercial or Financial Information” will be considered as voluntarily submitted in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.
If NASA proceeds with the competition, potential participants are responsible for monitoring the Internet website for the release of the Announcement for Proposals and for downloading their own copy of the Announcement and amendments. A website has been established for this activity:
http://procurement.jsc.nasa.gov/ccsc/
The Internet site, or URL, for the NASA/JSC Business Opportunities page is:
http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=73
An Ombudsman has been appointed – See NASA Specific Note “B”.
No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation or submit a proposal. All questions must be submitted in writing to the Agreements Officer via email or fax referencing the solicitation number in the subject line. Telephone questions will not be accepted. NASA does not intend to publicly post questions and answers to this synopsis. As necessary, further information will be provided as amendments to this synopsis.
Point of Contact
Name: Keith D Hutto
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 281-483-4165
Fax: 281-244-5331
Email: keith.d.hutto@nasa.gov
