NASA Special Notice: Transforming the Private Sector Role in Space Operations
General Information
Document Type: Special Notice
Solicitation Number: NASA-SNOTE-040813-001
Posted Date: Aug 13, 2004
Original Response Date:
Current Response Date:
Original Archive Date: Aug 13, 2005
Current Archive Date: Aug 13, 2005
Classification Code: R — Professional, administrative, and management support services
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Description
The President’s Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy forwarded its report “A Journey to Inspire, Innovate, and Discover” to the President on June 4, 2004. In that report, the Commission made a number of recommendations concerning the future missions and structure of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The report can be viewed electronically at http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/60736main_M2M_report_small.pdf .
The Commission stated directly that for the nation’s space exploration journey to succeed, it must be (1) sustainable over several decades; (2) affordable with available resources; and (3) credible in the stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The Commission recommended: ?. . . NASA recognize and implement a far larger presence of private industry in space operations with the specific goal of allowing private industry to assume the primary role of providing services to NASA, and most immediately in accessing low-Earth orbit.
In NASA decisions, the preferred choice for operational activities must be competitively awarded contracts with private and non-profit organizations and NASA’s role must be limited to only those areas where there is irrefutable demonstration that only government can perform the proposed activity.? One step to foster these goals would be to have operational activities done to the greatest extent possible by the private sector.
This will allow the private sector to bring its expertise to bear on those matters while NASA focuses on cutting edge research, development and exploration. For this Request for Information (RFI), NASA is interested in receiving comments and ideas from all sources regarding possible ways of implementing the Commission’s recommendation except for the area of commercial transportation services, which is being addressed under a separate RFI. Questions concerning this RFI may be submitted via email no later than August 27, 2004, 5:00 PM EDT to Rodney Liesveld at rodney.liesveld@nasa.gov. Responses to this RFI and call for comments and ideas may lead to a decision to compete study contracts or other follow-on work to implement this recommendation. Responses to this RFI should be sent to the address shown below.
Responses are due September 13, 2004. Respondents shall provide an electronic submission to the email address given above in addition to the hard copy submission. Responses are limited to 20 pages. An executive summary shall be included as part of your 20-page response.
Mr. William F. Readdy
Associate Administrator
Office of Space Operations NASA Headquarters
300 E Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20546
This document is for information and planning purposes. This document is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response. Respondents will not be notified of the results.
Original Point of Contact
L W Bailets, Procurement Analyst, Phone (202) 358-0435, Fax (202) 358-3082, Email lbailets@nasa.gov – Mark R Stiles, Contracting Officer, Phone (202) 358-1521, Fax (202) 358-3342, Email mstiles@hq.nasa.gov
Email your questions to L W Bailets at lbailets@nasa.gov
TRANSFORMING THE PRIVATE SECTOR ROLE IN SPACE OPERATIONS
Synopsis – Posted on Aug 13, 2004
Modification 01 – Posted on Aug 16, 2004
General Information
Document Type: Modification to a Previous Presolicitation Notice
Solicitation Number: NASA-SNOTE-040813-001
Posted Date: Sep 02, 2004
Original Response Date: Sep 13, 2004
Current Response Date: Sep 13, 2004
Original Archive Date: Sep 02, 2005
Current Archive Date: Sep 02, 2005
Classification Code: R — Professional, administrative, and management support services
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Description
This amendment deletes Mark Stiles as the secondary point of contact and provides answers to questions in response to the RFI.
The questions and responses are as follows:
Does NASA view ‘commercial capabilities’ as including any fixed price contracting mechanism, or does it mean FAR Part 12 arrangements with significant private capital at risk?
This RFI does not assume contract types as it is simply a method of seeking information.
Would NASA prefer that companies offer such ‘hybrid’ services in response to this RFI, or to the transportation services RFI, or both?
NASA has no preferences on which RFI ‘hybrid’ services should respond to.
Is providing microgravity research time on orbit separate from ISS (eg. a free flyer) a microgravity research service or a transportation service? What about via a suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle?
Because some activities, such as microgravity research, may blur the line between operations and transportation service, we suggest companies respond to any RFI they feel is suited to their capabilities.
Is the goal of the RFI simply to determine how NASA might change how it works with contractors to meet an internal NASA contractor percentage objective, or is the goal to privatize NASA functions and bring in private companies that NASA has not been able to work with effectively to date? The purpose of the RFI is to gather comments and innovative ideas on space operational activities. It also provides an opportunity for the private sector to communicate its ideas and interests to NASA. ?
Assuming NASA creates a separate RFP to acquire ‘non-transportation’ applications from commercial providers:
- Which part of NASA is expected to the lead the procurement?
- What is the anticipated budget?
- When might such an RFP be released?
The RFI is seeking information and ideas; no RFP is currently planned.
- Are there more instructions regarding the 20 page white paper?
- For example is there a specific size and font to be used?
- Should lines be single or double spaces?
- Can graphics be included?
- Would it be permissible to include Appendix in addition to the 20 page paper?
There are no restrictions on size, font or spacing. Graphics may be included. The RFI is limited to 20 pages total.
It is responsive to discuss services for NASA where the provided service is not transportation, but where the service may include a transportation element?
Yes. The due date for responses is not extended. Offerors are responsible for monitoring this site for any further amendments to this RFI.
Original Point of Contact
L W Bailets, Procurement Analyst, Phone (202) 358-0435, Fax (202) 358-3082, Email lbailets@nasa.gov – Mark R Stiles, Contracting Officer, Phone (202) 358-1521, Fax (202) 358-3342, Email mstiles@hq.nasa.gov
Email your questions to L W Bailets at lbailets@nasa.gov
Current Point of Contact
L W Bailets, Procurement Analyst, Phone (202) 358-0435, Fax (202) 358-3082, Email lbailets@nasa.gov
Email your questions to L W Bailets at lbailets@nasa.gov
