NASA Solicitation: Teaming Opportunity for the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Composition Payload
Synopsis – Jun 15, 2011
General Information
Solicitation Number: N/A
Reference Number: SS-CompositionPayload
Posted Date: Jun 15, 2011
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jun 15, 2011
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Jun 27, 2011
Current Response Date: Jun 27, 2011
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541712 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 12, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001
Description
This partnering synopsis solicits potential partners to participate in a space mission proposal development activity in response to the second Earth Venture (EV-2) Class Announcement of Opportunity (AO), expected to be released in the June 2011. Earth Venture is a Program element within NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder Program (ESSP) consisting of a series of new science-driven, competitively selected, low cost missions that will provide pioneering Earth science to enhance our capability to better understand the current state of the Earth system and to enable continual improvement in the prediction of future changes. For additional information on EV-2 visit http://essp.larc.nasa.gov/EV-2/ .
The Earth Venture-2 mission AO will be a single step competitive process. The selected mission will proceed directly into Phase A. While the AO schedule cannot be fully specified at this time, the following is an estimated schedule (dates are subject to change): Expected AO release date – June 17, 2011. NASA Langley Research Center selects partner(s) in response to this announcement – July 2011. NASA EV-2 Proposal due date – September, 2011. NASA EV-2 award –Early 2012. Launch – 2017.
Participation in this partnering synopsis is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit institutions, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as NASA Centers and other U.S. Government Agencies. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Other Minority Universities (OMUs), small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, HUBzone small businesses, and women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are encouraged to apply. Participation by non-U.S. organizations is welcome but subject to NASA’s policy of no exchange of funds, in which each government supports its own national participants and associated costs.
1.0 Teaming Opportunity This Teaming Opportunity is being issued to select a partner to support the EV-2 proposal development for a candidate multispectral infrared atmospheric composition payload for operation in geostationary orbit for a minimum of 2 years. The selected partner will address proposal content associated with the instrument, related subsystems, and science implementation. The selected partner will collaborate with the Principal Investigator, Project Scientist, Science Team and the overall mission engineering team to jointly develop the end-to-end performance requirements, including interfaces to the spacecraft, and to define the system architecture, identify study topics; and predict performance. There will be no exchange of funds between the teaming partners during the preparation of the proposal to the EV-2 AO. If the proposal is selected by NASA in 2012, NASA Langley Research Center anticipates negotiating and issuing contracts or other agreements to the selected partner(s) for performance of the proposed elements. This partnering opportunity does not guarantee selection for award of any contracts or other agreements, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by NASA to pay for the information solicited.
2.0 Required Capabilities In their response, potential partners must demonstrate understanding of and experience in the following Earth observing payload development processes throughout the system life cycle:
Instrument design, design trades, concept of operations, system fabrication, assembly, integration, test, and calibration of imaging infrared multi-spectral scientific instruments with emphasis on research applications in geostationary orbit, including cryo-systems expertise for thermally stabilized instrument performance; quantitative performance of megapixel focal plane data arrays in space; and space flight instrument operation and data handling software expertise. Systems integration of infrared instruments onto complex observatory spacecraft; definition of instrument health and safety test functions; successful completion of environmental testing for actual space instruments. Payload simulators and training; ground operation of space payloads including commanding, health and safety data processing, diagnostics, and assessment; engineering and technical support for Earth observing payloads during launch operations, post-launch evaluations and checkout. Potential partners must identify laboratories or facilities on the offeror’s premises that demonstrate capability and experience and that could minimize cost and schedule. If the offeror envisions the use of facilities that are owned or controlled by someone else, then potential partners must identify the method that will be used to utilize such facilities. Potential partners must provide their cost and schedule performance for relevant scientific instrument development projects completed in the past 5 years, including Instrument Incubator Projects. This information is excluded from the 5-page count limit. Information contained in the presentation packages which constitute trade secret and/or information that are commercial or financial and confidential or privileged, if any, must be so identified. 3.0 Evaluation Criteria
Partner selections will be made by Langley Research Center based on the following criteria:
(1) Technical Capability. The proposer shall describe their technical capabilities required for the performance of the instrument development activity described herein with emphasis on instrument design, integration, test, calibration, and operation of scientific instruments with emphasis on research applications in geostationary orbit..
(2) Relevant Experience and Past Performance. The proposer shall provide a brief summary relevant experience and past performance in similar development activities (including a high-level contract description of the activity, roles and responsibilities, a brief description of payload specifications and associated costs). The proposer shall include summary information on cost and schedule performance.
(3) Facilities and Associated Capabilities. This criterion evaluates the proposers’ facilities (development, testing, calibration, and analyses) to conduct instrument development activities. Instrument facilities for testing of space hardware and prototype hardware are considered important to this opportunity. The proposer should discuss facility availability, access, and the ability to meet the proposed objectives.
4.0 General Instructions for Responses to this Teaming Opportunity Responses to this partnering synopsis shall be limited to a 5 pages in not less than 12 point. Responses must address the aforementioned evaluation criteria.
All responses shall be submitted to Langley Research Center electronically via email no later than 4:00pm EST on June 27, 2011, to Stephen Hall (Stephen.R.Hall@nasa.gov ), and Brad Gardner (Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov).
Technical and Programmatic questions regarding this draft partnering synopsis should be directed to Stephen Hall (Stephen.R.Hall@nasa.gov ), and procurement questions should be directed to Brad Gardner (Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov) .
Point of Contact
Name: Robert B. Gardner
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 757-864-2525
Fax: 757-864-7898
Email: Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov
Name: Teresa M Hass
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 757-864-8496
Fax: 757-864-8863
Email: Teresa.M.Hass@nasa.gov
