NASA Solicitation: Independent Program Assessment: In Situ Cost Analysis Support
Synopsis – Nov 12, 2010
Standard Operating Procedure Instruction (SOPI) – Posted on Nov 12, 2010 New!
General Information
Solicitation Number: 4200359802
Posted Date: Nov 12, 2010
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Nov 12, 2010
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Nov 26, 2010
Current Response Date: Nov 26, 2010
Classification Code: R — Professional, administrative, and mgmt support services
NAICS Code: 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
Set-Aside Code: Competitive 8(a)
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Description
NASA/HQ is hereby soliciting information about potential 8(a) sources for the Independent Program Assessment Office (IPAO) In Situ (onsite) Senior Cost Analysis & Estimating Support. An organization that is not considered a certified 8(a) business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.
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.
Vendors having the capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements are invited to submit appropriate documentation, literature, brochures, and references. Vendors interested in this RFI must also provide examples of the following along with their capabilities statements:
1) Please demonstrate that there will be qualified staff available upon contract award.
2) Please demonstrate the required capabilities/expertise: System Estimation and Evaluation of Resources (SEER), PRICE, NASA/Air Force Cost Model (NAFCOM), or any other applicable cost estimating models for benchmarking purposes including MS Project with @Risk and Oracle-Primavera Risk Analysis by providing us with a copy of the staff’s resumes.
3) Please demonstrate relevant expertise in space system programmatic (cost and schedule) performance measurement (earned/value), cost/schedule integration, sensitivity analysis and tradeoffs.
Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101.
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. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement.
The Government reserves the right to an 8(a) set-aside based on responses hereto. All responses shall be submitted to Sherry Barbour via email at Sherry.Barbour@nasa.gov no later than 4:00 EST November 26, 2010. Please reference 4200359802 in any response. Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
Below is a draft version of the Statement of Work for this RFI:
1. Purpose, Objective, and Background of Work to be Performed:
The Independent Program Assessment Office (IPAO), within the Office of Independent Program and Cost Evaluation (IPCE), has the responsibility for enabling the independent review (an unbiased, objective review of the maturity, health and status) of the agency’s programs and projects at life cycle milestones to ensure the highest probability of mission success. The IPAO ensures the objectivity, quality, integrity and consistency of the independent review process required by Standard Operating Procedure Instruction (SOPI) 5.02 Baseline Programmatic Assessment Process.
The IPAO will ensure the review needs are met while maintaining the integrity and independence of the review process consistent with the agency’s governance model as documented in the NASA Strategic Management and Governance Handbook, NPD 1000.0. Specifically within the realm of cost analyses and cost estimating, the IPAO develops independent cost analysis which may include cost estimates for projects (particularly those requiring Congressional reporting), independent analyses of Joint Confidence Level products as delivered by the programs and projects as part of the independent reviews for key decision points. Furthermore, the IPAO is responsible for developing an independent programmatic analysis for each designated review and facilitating the integration with the schedule analysis, as well as, into the overall program and project assessment.
The objective of this order is for the contractor to provide in situ (onsite) senior level cost analysts, to the IPAO to support the execution of IPAO responsibilities.
2. Description of the Work to be Performed: The Contractor shall perform the following task requirements in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure Instruction (SOPI) 5.02, Programmatic Assessment Process released June 30, 2010, attached and made apart hereof.
2.1 The contractor shall provide comprehensive cost analyses of NASA programs and project life cycle cost. 2.2 The contractor shall provide in situ cost analyses and estimating, risk analysis, schedule estimating, schedule analysis, technical assessment, economic analysis, and systems engineering support to the IPAO per SOPI 5.02, Section 5.3, as required. The analysis shall include an assessment of resources other than budget to include but not limited to manpower, fabrication, assembly, test facilities and equipment, test beds, ground support equipment, launch sites, communication networks and mission operations centers. The analysis shall include an assessment of the management practices, acquisition planning, control, methods of communication and reporting with respect to cost estimating and budget.
2.3 The contractor shall support team meetings, as required, for the Standing Review Boards (SRBs).
2.4 The contractor shall be responsible for the lead role in ensuring the programmatic analysis is performed per SOPI 5.02 which includes, but is not limited to the analysis of the program/ project cost data with an independent team composed of management, technical, risk, and schedule experts from outside the advocacy chain of this program.
2.5 The contractor shall participate in review planning meetings and the development of the Programmatic Analysis Plan (PAP); reference SOPI 5.02, Appendix A. The contractor shall attend other pertinent meetings as required.
2.6 The contractor shall keep the IPAO Review Manager (RM), IPAO cost lead, and the SRB chair apprised of all correspondences and discussions that pertain to the conduct of the review or dissemination of results. (Note: All reports shall be reviewed and approved by the IPAO prior to release. Official correspondence shall be routed through the IPAO.)
2.7 The contractor shall support reviews related to programs and projects reviews.
2.8 The contractor shall conduct independent cost estimates, cross-check cost estimates, analogy estimates, earned value and discrete cost risk analyses per SOPI 5.02, Section 5.4 as directed by the IPAO lead estimator. The assessments shall include development, production, and operations assessments and shall be completed using experienced personnel with PRICE, NASA/Air Force Cost Model (NAFCOM), System Estimation and Evaluation of Resources (SEER), or any other applicable cost estimating models for benchmarking purposes including MS Project with @Risk and Oracle-Primavera Risk Analysis. These estimates/analyses shall be completed in conjunction with civil service IPAO cost estimators and in full coordination with the SRBs and/or other IPAO sanctioned review teams. For each cost estimate that may be required for benchmarking purposes, the contractor shall:
2.8.1 Develop an independent cost estimate using a primary methodology (e.g., parametric), a cross check estimate using a different methodology other than the primary, an analogy cost estimate, and discrete cost risk analyses. 2.8.2 Provide comments to facilitate the development of the Cost Analysis Data Requirements (CADRe). 2.8.3 Provide the project’s Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) ensuring all elements of cost have been captured and annotate those elements outside of the scope of this effort and the accompanying rationale. 2.8.4 Provide a list of areas of uncertainty affecting the cost estimate. 2.8.5 Provide the ground rules and assumptions affecting the cost estimate. 2.8.6 Provide a data collection plan. 2.8.7 Provide rationale for selecting a particular set of estimating methodologies and the rationale for not selecting other sets of estimating methodologies. 2.8.8 Provide a list of primary and cross-check methodologies for major cost elements and, if applicable, provide rationale for significant difference (over 20%) between the primary and cross-check methodologies. 2.8.9 Provide, if applicable, regression analyses and accompanying statistics (e.g., R2), overhead factors, G&A factors, fees, and learning curves. 2.8.10 Provide if applicable, estimate ranges, i.e., risk assessment and analyses, probability distribution, and/or Monte Carlo simulation. 2.8.11 Provide assistance, as requested, in preparation for management presentations. 2.8.12 Provide Joint Cost and Schedule Confidence level analysis in support of revised NPD 1000.5 current guidance.
2.9 Cost trades and sensitivity analyses shall be completed as required. Cost research using NASA’s Resource Data Storage and Retrieval Database System (REDSTAR) may be required to provide detailed supporting data or for special cost estimating relationship development.
2.10 Attend annual Cost Analysis Workshop.
2.11 Attend annual PM Challenge.
3. Deliverables/Milestones:
3.1 Kick-Off Briefing/Meeting: Within 7 days after award of this contract, the contractor shall schedule and host a kick-off briefing/meeting. At this time, specific direction will be given to the contractor for the work to be performed, as described in Section 3, above.
3.2 Contract Status Reporting: The contractor shall provide quarterly Status Reports to the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR), with the first Report due 90 days after task issuance. The last status report shall include documentation of all technical assistance accomplished during the period of performance. The last status report shall be in narrative form, brief (no more than 5-pages) and include the following:
3.2.1 A quantitative description of work performed during the period. 3.2.2 An indication of any problems that may have impeded the performance. 3.2.3 A discussion of potential work in the future.
3.3 Current Estimated Reviews:
Potential NASA programs/projects requiring cost analysis and estimating support include, but not limited to: Solar Terrestrial Probes Program and all its projects, Earth Systematic Missions Program and all its projects, Explorers Program, Earth Systems Science Pathfinder and all its projects, Constellation Program and all its projects, Living With A Star Program, Radioisotope Power System Program, Exoplanet Exploration Program, Physics of the Cosmos Program and all its projects, Mars Exploration Program and all its projects, Cosmic Origin Program, James Webb Space Telescope Program, SOFIA Program, Explorers Program, Lunar Quest Program, New Frontiers Program and all its projects, Discovery Program, Juno, Launch Services Program, Space Communications and Navigation Program, International Space Station Program and other NASA programs/projects requiring independent reviews.
3.4 During a review, the contractor shall keep the COTR informed of SRB status and progress by weekly emails (or meetings) documenting in brief bullet format: work accomplished during the week, work scheduled for next week, and any issues to pertaining to the review timeline shall be submitted at the end of each business week. This shall be an informal and brief status report and shall be written individually for each program/project by the analyst.
3.5 For each SRB review, the following items shall be delivered in accordance with the Programmatic Analysis Group (PAG) timeline outlined in the SOPI:
3.5.1 Independent Programmatic Analysis Plan (PAP) (or input to) per SOPI 5.02, Appendix A. 3.5.2 Kick-Off Presentation (or input to). 3.5.3 Preliminary analysis and supporting documentation. 3.5.4 Peer Review Presentation (or input to). 3.5.5 Final analysis and supporting documentation. 3.5.6 Independent Programmatic Analysis (IPA) Report (or input to) per SOPI 5.02, Appendix G.
3.6 Conflict of Interest.
Contractor shall ensure that the NASA Background Information and Confidential Conflict of Interest Disclosure Questionnaire (Appendix B) is completed by each contractor employee (to include subcontractors and consultants) proposed for SRB duties – when the contractor is to provide an independent and objective assessment of projects and programs under consideration by the IPCE/IPAO. The contractor shall analyze these questionnaires for organizational and personal conflicts of interest in accordance with the OCI Avoidance Plan, and forward the completed forms for proposed SRB members to the contracting officer and COTR.
Certificate of Independent Assessment (Appendix C). The contractor shall also certify, prior to performance of any work that no conflict of interest exists and mitigate any appearance of a conflict of interest to ensure total freedom from bias that would result from the predilection toward a particular hardware and/or software design or approach.
4. Place of Performance:
The services to be performed under this contact shall be performed at the following location(s): NASA/Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681
5. Government Furnished Items:
Government property is provided to the Contractor for office space, including computer and telephone, as well as commercial off the shelf cost estimating software and tools.
Standard Operating Procedure Instruction (SOPI) 5.02 Baseline Programmatic Assessment Process is provided as reference.
6. Other information needed for performance of task:
6.1 All contractor personnel under this task shall be capable of sending and receiving electronic media and shall maintain compatibility with the standard Microsoft Office suite of software and Acrobat (PDF) files.
6.2 Travel: The contractor shall plan for the travel required to NASA centers associated with NASA programs/projects and possibly other facilities for attendance at technical interchange meetings for discussion and data collection. These meetings provide the opportunity to review cost data for completeness, discuss cost and schedule risk areas, identify cost drivers, evaluate heritage from previous programs/projects and gain insights about program maturity.
6.3 Non-Disclosure Agreements: All contractor personnel shall have a signed non-disclosure agreement prior to commencement of work under this task order.
6.4 The cost analyst’s program management shall coordinate with the IPAO Program Analysis Group Lead and COTR when general cost analysis support is assigned to the NASA projects and programs listed in Section 4.3, above.
7. Required Disciplines / Areas of Expertise:
The contractor shall support the Independent Program Assessment Office by providing the core disciplines and areas of expertise as listed below.
Core Disciplines: Cost Analyst Areas of Expertise: Cost Analysis and Estimating
The cost analysts shall: be cognizant in the field of expertise to interact, communicate and facilitate cost analyses with the Program/project and the SRB members; be able to interpret program/project WBS; have knowledge of systems engineering and/or project experience and should have a background that includes statistics and probability analysis; have good written and spoken communication skills; understand the basics of schedule and risk analysis; understand and be able to assess Program/project budget, workforce and other resource requirements as they relate to ability to successfully implement its budget; be able to quantify risks by probability of occurrence and impact if risk does occur; be able to evaluate program/project cost estimating and budget processes to determine if they are able to develop, manage and assess cost performance.
Point of Contact
Name: Sherry Lynn Barbour
Title: Contract Specialist
Phone: 301-286-6682
Fax: 301-286-0357
Email: Sherry.Barbour@nasa.gov
