NASA Solicitation: Request for Informaiton/Quest Challenges

Synopsis – Aug 03, 2005

General Information

Solicitation Number: ESMD-CC-0502
Posted Date: Aug 03, 2005
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Aug 03, 2005
Original Response Date: Aug 16, 2005
Current Response Date: Aug 16, 2005
Classification Code: R — Professional, administrative, and mgmt support services
NAICS Code: 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services

Contracting Office Address

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771

Description

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: NASA CENTENNIAL CHALLENGES OUTREACH SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES

GENERAL INFORMATION: Reference Number: ESMD-CC-0502 Posted Date: August 2, 2005 FedBizOpps Posted Date: August 2, 2005 Response Date: August 16, 2005 at 3:00 p.m. EDT

*****This is a reissue of a Request for Information (RFI) that was released on November 5, 2004. If your business responded to that instance of the RFI, please do not respond to this one.****

External organizations are sought to support Quest Challenges, the outreach element of Centennial Challenges (www.centennialchallenges.nasa.gov) within the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (www.exploration.nasa.gov) of NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. These organizations will help with the planning, coordination, and execution of the following elements as they relate to individual Quest Challenges:

• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Outreach Plan Development
• Challenge Formulation
• Partner Organization Recruitment
• Challenge Information
• Challenge Administration
• Challenge Event Management
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Impact Assessment

It is expected that this effort would consist of a competitively bid contract, augmented by partnerships with educational institutions and other organizations (relevant non-profits, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional organizations, and other organizations). This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to identify the field of possible supporting organizations based on the responses received and to obtain information that will help guide the development of future procurements. Please respond to any or all of the RFI elements provided below.

CENTENNIAL CHALLENGES OVERVIEW

NASA Centennial Challenges was established to conduct prize competitions in support of the Vision for Space Exploration and ongoing NASA programs. Centennial Challenges is modeled on past and ongoing prize competitions, including the 18th century British Longitude Prize; early 20th century aviation competitions, such as the Orteig Prize won by Charles Lindbergh; the ongoing Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge; and the recently won, privately funded, Ansari X PRIZE. By making awards based on actual achievements instead of proposals, Centennial Challenges seeks novel and lower-cost solutions to engineering obstacles in civil space and aeronautics from new sources of innovation in industry, academia, and the public.

There will be four categories of competitions conducted by Centennial Challenges, one of which is covered in this RFI – Quest Challenges. The Alliance Challenge category is covered in a separate “Announcement of Partnership Opportunity”. The other two Challenge categories, Flagship and Keystone, are covered in a separate RFI.

QUEST CHALLENGES

Quest Challenges are intended to complement other Challenge categories by promoting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) awareness, subjects, and careers to youth and to other age groups who are not involved in STEM careers. It is envisioned that Quest Challenges, categorized by and targeted at different age groups, will be inspirational and enriching. Some Quest Challenges will involve individual or group activities, repeatable contests, or submission of entries for judging. NASA hopes to offer cash prizes in the hundreds to thousands of dollars, or equivalent awards of interest to youth or other age groups. The support contractor for Quest Challenges will have a large role in the creation and design of specific Quest Challenges, but examples include:

• Relevant student engineering Challenges, such as model rocket or robotic competitions;
• Relevant student science competitions, such as the Intel Science Talent Search;
• Naming and/or logo design contests for individual Flagship, Keystone, or Alliance Challenges;
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math-related games and tournaments, such as internet-based games, card games, and video games; and
• “Best Science/Science Fiction” Challenges in literature, art, and/or music.

NASA anticipates that most Quest Challenges will be administered via no-cost partnerships between the Quest Challenge support contractor and youth and senior institutions and organizations (groups, clubs, non-profit organizations, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, etc.) to ensure broad engagement and to maintain low overhead costs. However, a support subcontractor may conduct the administration of some highly visible Quest Challenges or internet-based Challenges.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

Given the background provided above, describe your organization’s experiences, capabilities, and ideas for supporting Quest Challenges. Where a more complete set of support functions can be provided, partnering between organizations is encouraged. Joint submissions between two or more potential partnered organizations are welcome.

Attachment A provides a description of the anticipated support functions for Quest Challenges.

Attachment B provides a list of general questions that may be used to structure future procurements for Quest Challenge contract support.

Your organization’s submission may be used by the Government to determine the degree of interest in the industry and capabilities for planning purposes. Submissions to this request shall be limited to no more than 15 pages, including attachments. Submissions in response to this RFI should be made electronically in the body of or as an attachment to an email sent to Cheryl.D.Lee@nasa.gov. All submissions must be received by August 16, 2005 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Questions regarding this RFI should be directed to:

Cheryl Lee NASA Headquarters Procurement Office Code 210.H Greenbelt, MD 20771

All questions must be in writing, either via FAX or e-mail. No telephone calls will be accepted.

ATTACHMENT A: SUPPORT FUNCTIONS FOR QUEST CHALLENGES

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Outreach Plan Development

Quest Challenges are the main inspirational and enriching outreach portion of NASA’s Centennial Challenges program. It is very important that this category of Challenges make a measurable impact on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) awareness, subjects, and careers to youth and to other age groups who are not involved in STEM careers. A clear STEM outreach plan will be critical to making measurable impacts. Under the Outreach Plan Development function, NASA anticipates that Quest Challenges support contractor(s) would be responsible for, or play a significant role in:

• Identification of desirable STEM impacts;
• Identification of types of Quest Challenges that could support these STEM impacts;
• Identification of metrics to measure these STEM impacts
• Formulation of an STEM Outreach Plan that includes desired STEM impacts, the Quest Challenges to support them, and associated metrics.

Areas that should be addressed in your response to this RFI should include, but not be limited to the following:

• What are some potential STEM impacts that Quest Challenges could be designed to address?
• How should these STEM impacts be measured? Are there low-cost ways of making such measurements?
• What are examples of potential Quest Challenges that could be conducted to support these STEM impacts?

Challenge Formulation

The Quest Challenge Formulation function involves development and review of rules and other details of individual Quest Challenges. It is anticipated that support contractor(s) will play a significant role in guiding the formulation of individual challenges from initial concept to final rules release. NASA anticipates that Quest Challenges support contractor(s) will be especially involved in:

• Gathering and generating ideas for Quest Challenges through external and internal inputs;
• Defining and refining individual Quest Challenge candidates selected by NASA through reviews, especially to ensure they are consistent with the STEM Outreach Plan; and
• Defining responsibilities of partner organizations that will be responsible for conducting Quest Challenge competitions, if any.

It is anticipated that Quest Challenge rules and details will include (but are not limited to):

• Eligibility criteria (such as student status or age groupings),
• Criteria for winning the Challenge,
• Judging methodology (as needed),
• Competition locations (as needed),
• Competition dates (as needed),
• Purse size or other STEM-related prize, and
• Relevant supporting material (as needed).

Areas that should be addressed in your response to this RFI should include, but not be limited to the following:

• What are the best methods for gathering challenge ideas targeted at different age groups (e.g., youth and senior)?
• What are the best methods for defining rules and other Quest Challenge details?
• What are the best methods for reviewing and refining challenge rules so they are enriching and inspirational; transparent, unbiased, and fair; and cannot be cheated?
• What are the best methods for identifying independent, qualified reviewers for Quest Challenge rules?
• Where needed, what are the best methods for identifying unbiased, qualified judges for individual Quest Challenges?
• What are the best ways to identify likely overhead costs for individual Quest Challenges during the formulation process?
• What steps can be taken during the formulation process to keep Quest Challenge overhead costs low?

Partner Organization Recruitment

The Partner Organization Recruitment function seeks to ensure that a substantial and diverse number of organizations will be conducting Quest Challenges to maximize the number of individuals reached and the impact of Quest Challenges. Under this function, NASA anticipates that Quest Challenges support contractor(s) would be responsible for, or play a significant role in:

• Identifying desirable, likely, and/or other relevant partners for a specific Quest Challenges;
• Creating Challenge information and materials targeted at potential partner organizations;
• Identifying dissemination methods that target potential partner organizations;
• Disseminating information and materials to potential partner organizations;
• Discussing Challenges with potential partner organizations and answering their questions about Challenge rules and other details; and
• Potentially assisting with negotiation and registration of potential partner organizations, including the signature of draft agreements provided by NASA.

Areas that should be addressed in your response to this RFI should include, but not be limited to the following:

• What are the best methods for identifying potential partner organizations?
• What are the best methods for making potential partner organizations aware of a Quest Challenge?
• What are the best methods for encouraging potential partner organizations to conduct a particular Quest Challenge?

Challenge Information

The Challenge Information function seeks to ensure that Quest Challenges are well represented in the press and media and that public interest in and excitement regarding Quest Challenges is strong. Under this function, NASA anticipates that Quest Challenges support contractor(s) would be responsible for, or play a significant role in:

• Identifying desirable, likely, and/or other relevant press and media outlets for a Quest Challenge;
• Creating press releases, other press materials, internet media, television media, and other media targeted at these outlets;
• Formulation, execution, and reporting of dissemination plans, such as schedules for press and media events over the life-cycle of a Challenge, that target these outlets;
• Discussing Quest Challenges with press and answering their questions; and
• Seeking and executing other methods for creating and maintaining public interest and excitement for Quest Challenges.

Areas that should be addressed in your response to this RFI should include, but not be limited to the following:

• What are the best methods for creating press and media interest in Quest Challenges?
• What are the best methods for ensuring strong press and media attendance at Quest Challenge events?
• Besides press and media outreach, are there other methods that can help create public excitement for Quest Challenges?
• What methods will work best for creating public interest in Quest Challenges?
• How can NASA maximize public interest and excitement while keeping costs for the publicity function as low as possible?

Challenge Administration

The Challenge Administration function for Quest Challenges involves responsibility for the day-to-day administration of Quest Challenge competitions. Under this function, NASA anticipates that Quest Challenges support contractor(s) would be responsible for tasks including (but not limited to):

• Formally registering participants for a Challenge, including the signing of registration materials provided by NASA;
• Responding to inquiries from registered Challenge participants;
• Collecting and reporting participant information at regular intervals, such as progress updates, team member lists, and photos;
• Monitoring participant adherence to Challenge rules; and
• Maintaining information services, such as websites and databases.

Please address but do not limit your response to the following area:

• How can day-to-day management costs for Quest Challenges be kept as low as possible?

Challenge Event Management

Quest Challenges will culminate in an event that may include the competition itself and where one or more of the Challenge participants are identified as the winner(s) of the Challenge. The Challenge Event Management function encompasses all the functions needed to make these events successful. Under this function, NASA anticipates that Quest Challenges support contractor(s) would be responsible for, or play a significant role in:

• Collecting competitor submissions (for some events);
• Identifying and evaluating potential event locations (such as test sites or ranges);
• Potentially negotiating and contracting with event locations for various event needs, such as security, press management, etc.;
• Obtaining services for those events needs not provided by event locations;
• Notifying participants, judges, Centennial Challenges management, and other VIPs of Challenge events; and
• Coordinating lodging, meals, travel, and hospitality for judges and other VIPs.

Areas that should be addressed in your response to this RFI should include, but not be limited to the following: :

• What are the best methods for identifying, evaluating, contracting for, negotiating with, and otherwise obtaining event locations and their services?
• What are the best methods for obtaining various event needs not provided by event locations, such as security, press management, lodging, meals, travel, hospitality, for judges and VIPs, etc.?
• How can costs for Quest Challenge events be kept as low as possible?

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Impact Assessment

Assessing the impact of Quest Challenges on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math awareness, subjects, and careers will play a key role in the refinement of future Quest Challenges. Under the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Impact Assessment function, NASA anticipates that Centennial Challenges support contractor(s) would be responsible for, or play a significant role in:

• Measuring the impact of Quest Challenges on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math awareness, subject, and careers, consistent with the metrics in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Outreach Plan; and
• Assessing these measurements, potentially including independent review.
• Areas that should be addressed in your response to this RFI should include, but not be limited to the following:
• What would be the best way to collect and report data from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math metrics? How can the costs for this data collections be kept as low as possible?
• What methods and/or organizations should be used to assess these metrics?

ATTACHMENT B: GENERAL QUESTIONS ON SUPPORT FOR QUEST CHALLENGES

Your organization should answer the following questions. NASA may use this information in structuring future procurements for Quest Challenge support.

• How should NASA organize support contracts for Quest Challenges? Why?
• Should certain functions of the Quest support contract be pursued via separate contracts? If so, which ones and why?
• How can NASA promote appropriate teaming between support providers to meet its Quest Challenge needs?
• How can NASA structure the Quest Challenges support contract(s) to keep overhead costs low and thus maximize the amount of funding available for prizes?

Point of Contact

Name: Cheryl D Lee
Title: Contract Administrator
Phone: (301) 286-4095
Fax: (301) 286-0357
Email: Cheryl.D.Lee@nasa.gov

Name: Claudia S Womble
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: (301) 286-4118
Fax: (301) 286-0357
Email: Claudia.S.Womble@nasa.gov