Potential Partners for the NASA Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program
Synopsis – Apr 10, 2014
General Information
Solicitation Number: NNC14ZNA001L
Posted Date: Apr 10, 2014
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Apr 10, 2014
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Jun 10, 2014
Current Response Date: Jun 10, 2014
Classification Code: R — Professional, administrative, and mgmt support services
NAICS Code: 611430
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
Description
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) is seeking to obtain information on potential public or private partners for, and innovative approaches to, the commercialization of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program (STEP). NASA GRC is searching for a commercialization partner with a shared interest in independently advancing this internally developed training program. This partner would be expected to: be familiar with the safety and mission assurance (SMA) disciplines that are the focus of the training program, have an understanding of SMA competencies and products, and be capable of delivering and hosting a web-based training program. Demonstrated experience in constructing public-private partnerships would be desirable. The intent of this Request for Information (RFI) is to: 1) obtain feedback from industry, academia and other organizations on the commercialization approach of the training program; 2) identify the proposed structure, delivery method, and maintenance of the training program along with any enhancements/improvements to the training program; 3) obtain proposed solutions to gaps in the training program resulting from courses yet to be developed or are only currently available with restricted access; 4) obtain feedback on the market areas beyond aerospace that might capitalize on the training program and their potential level of interest; and 5) identify potential partners for commercialization and their capabilities as well as proposed business models for commercialization. There will be no exchange of funds and a NASA GRC acquisition is not intended.
A. Background
STEP is a career-oriented, professional development roadmap for Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) professionals. This training program is focused on six disciplines: Aviation Safety, Operational Safety, Quality Engineering, Reliability & Maintainability, Software Assurance, and System Safety. There is an additional curriculum for those with cross-discipline interests. STEP provides a means to measure and continuously advance the proficiency of the SMA workforce. The training program also accomplishes many other things for the SMA community: 1) helps support missions by encouraging SMA efforts throughout Program and Project lifecycles, 2) provides technical discipline support and guidance, 3) positively influences safety culture, and 4) increases and sustains domain knowledge. Although STEP was designed for SMA professionals, any employee can benefit from the wealth of information provided in the program. STEP is meant to benefit all SMA professionals from the new hire to the seasoned professional. Participants complete STEP in four distinct Levels, each requiring an increased amount of time, effort and dedication. Successful completion of each STEP Level represents a substantial and measureable increase in discipline competency and proficiency. Beginning in Level 2, the participant declares a discipline; by selecting a discipline, the participant focuses the training experience on the area that best suits the participant’s specific job function. The participant learns through a variety of delivery platforms and types of activities. Most of the training consists of online courses in the chosen path but a few may be delivered in traditional, instructor-led classroom settings. The STEP curriculum consists of Qualification Elements including Core Training, Discipline Training, Domain Training, On-the-Job Training (OJT), Enrichment Experience, Reading Material and years of experience. Some or all of these elements appear in each Level. After the curriculum is completed for each Level, the participant must pass a qualification check to move on to the next level; requirements to do this vary by Level. Examples of the STEP Level 1 training and System Safety Levels 2-4 curriculums will be provided upon request. Requests must be submitted no later than 30 days from the posting date of this RFI to: Diane Chapman, E-mail: dchapman @nasa.gov.
B. Information Requested
We expect respondents to provide information on overall interest and approaches that will meet our desired objective of commercializing STEP. We are looking for all pertinent information to assist us in our partnership strategy including: an assessment of the commercialization potential of the training program; market approach for commercialization; structure, enhancements/improvements, delivery method, and maintenance of the training program; solutions to gaps in the training program; identification of market areas including a list of names of potential customers and a statement indicating their level of interest in purchasing the training program; and any major concerns in commercializing the training program.
Request for Information: Responses must be submitted to: Diane Chapman, Title: Technical Support/Discipline Development Manager, Email: dchapman@nasa.gov.
Responses to this RFI shall be submitted in writing and electronic media postmarked no later than 5:00 PM EST on June 10, 2014. Responses are limited to 20 pages total. The response must be sent as one printed hardcopy and electronically as single Microsoft Word (.doc) and/or Microsoft Excel (.xls) file for each response on a standard 700 MB CD (Compact Disk). Acceptable file types are Microsoft Office Word 2007 and Microsoft Office Excel 2007. For pictures, the Government prefers encapsulated Postscript (.eps) or embedded (copying and pasting any format of graphic into a document) pictures. The following formats for pictures, drawings, figures, etc., are also acceptable: .cgm, .jpg, .wmf, .mpp, .dxf, or .bmp. Please use 11 point Times New Roman font where paragraphed, as well as single spaced pages printed one-sided. In addition to whatever information the responder chooses to provide, each RFI response shall include a cover sheet with the following information: 1. RFI Solicitation Number and Title, 2. Responding Organization (including address, POC and phone number), and 3. A brief synopsis of the RFI response in less than 20 words.
This RFI is used solely for information planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. In accordance with FAR 15.201 (e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government is under no obligation to issue a solicitation or to award any contract on the basis of this RFI. The information provided in response to this RFI will not be made public in an effort to protect any proprietary company information. Nonetheless, respondents should clearly and properly mark any proprietary or restricted data contained within its submission so it can be identified and protected. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned, and respondents will not be notified of the results of the review. Technical Point of Contact: Diane Chapman, Title: Technical Support/Discipline Development Manager, Email: dchapman@nasa.gov.
Point of Contact
Name: Diane M. Chapman
Title: Technical Support Discipline Development Manager
Phone: 440-962-3081
Fax: 440-962-3110
Email: Diane.M.Chapman@nasa.gov
Name: Timothy C. Pierce
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 216-433-2147
Fax: 216-433-5489
Email: Timothy.C.Pierce@nasa.gov
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