SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- PREPARATION OF SPECIMENS TO TEST CRYOINSULATION MATERIALS AND FRICTION STIR WELDING TECHNIQUES THAT WILL BE USED TO MANUFACTURE THE CREW LAUNCH VEHICLE UPPER STAGE
- Notice Date
- 1/25/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
- ZIP Code
- 35812
- Solicitation Number
- CLV-FOAM-AND-WELD-SUPPORT
- Response Due
- 2/9/2007
- Archive Date
- 1/25/2008
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NASA/MSFC has a requirement to develop and specify the cryoinsulation material and friction stir welding technique that will be used to manufacture the Crew Launch Vehicle Upper Stage, a component of the Constellation Program. NASA/MSFC intends to acquire these services non-competitively from Lockheed Martin Corporation pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. Competition is impractical for the following reasons: 1. Lockheed Martin is uniquely positioned to provide the required support to Constellation while minimizing the risk to the completion of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) by 2010, as well as the risk of impacting the early Constellation Test Flight Program. There will be a strong commonality of operations and hardware between the SSP and Constellation since Constellation has made the decision to use shuttle-derived technology and existing shuttle facilities capability in its program. As the External Tank prime contractor, Lockheed Martin operates the Thermal Protection System (TPS) processing capability at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). MSFC plans to utilize the existing hardware and facilities to further its understanding and experience with third generation TPS foams in order to comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations that require an eventual phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbon-based materials. Lockheed Martin?s support of the SSP in the areas of cryoinsulation material and friction stir weld will permit timely execution of significant tasks that are a prerequisite for achieving Upper Stage milestones, and prevent schedule conflicts with ongoing SSP tasks. 2. If another contractor were selected, significant set-up time and training would be required to ensure that the new contractor?s proficiency levels on the tools and equipment at MSFC would be equal to the levels currently offered by Lockheed Martin. Further, the time necessary to train another contractor?s personnel would result in a negative schedule impact of six months, adding additional cost and risk to the Government by not supporting the scheduled material downselect timeframe objective. 3. It is clearly in the public?s interest to ensure that sufficient skilled resources are available to safely, timely, and successfully complete SSP, assemble the International Space Station, and transition over to the new Constellation Program. The Associate Administrators of Space Operations Mission Directorate and Exploration Systems Mission Directorate believe that to meet the concurrent challenges of flying out Shuttle safely while meeting the Constellation development goals, the Agency should maximize the use of existing resources until new capabilities and contract vehicles are in place. They believe there is a significant technical commonality such that existing capabilities can be put to their best use. They encourage short to mid-term use of NASA?s existing SSP contractors? uniquely applicable knowledge, capabilities, and ability to schedule and integrate complementary and compatible Shuttle and exploration requirements to the maximum extent practical. This approach would only be used until such time as appropriate Constellation contracts could be put into place, around 2010. The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See Note 26. Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 4:30 p.m. local time on February 9, 2007. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. An Ombudsman has been appointed. See NASA Specific Note "B". Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
- Web Link
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- Record
- SN01219497-W 20070127/070125221302 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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