SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- SCIENCE EVALUATIONS ASSESSMENTS STUDIES SERVICES AND SUPPORT
- Notice Date
- 9/18/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton,VA 23681-0001
- ZIP Code
- 23681-0001
- Solicitation Number
- SS-SSOEASSS-609
- Response Due
- 10/9/2009
- Archive Date
- 9/18/2010
- Point of Contact
- Timothy P Cannella, Contracting Officer, Phone 757-864-5028, Fax 757-864-9097, Email Timothy.P.Cannella@nasa.gov - Rosemary C. Froehlich, Contracting Officer, Phone 757-864-2423, Fax 757-864-8541, Email Rosemary.C.Froehlich@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Timothy P Cannella
(Timothy.P.Cannella@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NASA Langley Research Center is hereby soliciting information in regard topotential sources for a follow-on procurement to the Science Support Office's (SSO)support contract entitled, "EVALUATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, STUDIES AND SERVICES AND SUPPORT"(NNL05AA01B). It is anticipated that work under the follow-on contract will be issued viatask orders. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of thesolicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and onthe NASA Acquisition Internet Service. NASA also intends to establish a bidder's libraryon the NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS) for this procurement. It is the potentialofferor's responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation orsynopsis.One of the primary goals of this synopsis is to assist NASA Langley in determiningwhether a Small Business Set-aside is an acceptable strategy for this procurement. If afull and open competition is ultimately pursued, responses to this synopsis will be usedto aid in establishing small business subcontracting goals. As no decision on a set-asidehas yet been made, all qualified firms are encouraged to respond. The North AmericanIndustry Classification System (NAICS) Code for this procurement is 541712, and the sizestandard under this code is 1000 employees.The SSO is responsible for the management and oversight of evaluations, assessments andstudies for the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and may provide this support toother NASA organizations. The SSO will process requirements for evaluations, assessments,studies, and associated logistics support, as described below through the LangleyResearch Center Office of Procurement. The contract work will include the following:EVALUATIONS: The contract work will support evaluation of proposals submitted pursuant toNASA FAR Supplement Part 1872, Acquisition of Investigations. The evaluations areconducted in accordance with NASA FAR Supplement Part 1872.4, Evaluations of Proposals,for Space Science Missions and Investigations, or as required in the task orders. Thespecific technical and performance requirements for each evaluation, assessment or studywill be defined at the task order level. Due to the nature and sensitivity of theevaluations, it is imperative that evaluations be objective and void of OrganizationalConflicts of Interest.A typical evaluation requires the contractor to staff one panel or multiple panels withpanel leaders and subject matter experts to evaluate Space Science Missions orInvestigation proposals. Typically, more than one expert is required in each area toensure a competent review. A NASA representative, typically the technical monitor for thetask, will act as the evaluation panel chair and provide instructions to the evaluationpanel members on NASA's evaluation standards, definitions and process to be used for thepanel. Each expert reviews the proposals and submits their individual initial reviewresults via a government provided web-based system, at a specified time period prior to aplenary evaluation meeting. Panels typically engage in a series of telecons over aspecified period of time prior to a plenary meeting and develop draft consensus findingsof strengths and weaknesses based on the criteria for each proposal. The draft consensusfindings are then posted on a NASA provided secure web site. At a plenary meeting, thedraft consensus findings are reviewed by all panel members in a plenary session of allpanels. If multiple panels are required, the contractor's leveling expert(s) review allfindings to ensure all proposals are evaluated consistently; and raise potential levelingissues at the plenary meeting for resolution by the evaluation panel. The NASA EvaluationChair provides guidance on the format of the findings to ensure they meet NASA standardsand are suitable for use in debriefing the proposers. Typically, all evaluators vote onthe overall grade for each proposal using the stated evaluation criteria to identifyproposal strengths and weaknesses. The contractor prepares a final report of the results.The contractor will be required to evaluate proposals in the areas of technical,management, cost, schedule and other areas of emphasis as defined in individual taskorders. The proposals are submitted in response to Announcements of Opportunities (AOs),NASA Research Announcements (NRAs), Cooperative Agreement Notices (CANs), or other BroadAgency Announcements (BAAs). The contract work in support of evaluations also includes;preparing supplementary material to accompany Announcements of Opportunity (AOs), NRAs,CANs, or other BAAs including technical information related to the opportunity, reportformats, and logistics guidelines for proposers responding to the AO. The contract workwill include identifying expertise needed for the evaluations; staffing panels withappropriate subject matter experts including expertise in project/program management,systems engineering, spacecraft systems (i.e. power, propulsion, attitude determinationand control, mechanical, thermal, communications), instrumentation, mission design,ground systems, mission operations, and entry descent and landing, schedule, and cost.The contract work will include analysis tools necessary to conduct the evaluation;planning and coordinating the logistics and security of the evaluation; compliance withcontract and review panel OCI and non-disclosure reporting requirements and establishedprocedural requirements of the panel; and documenting panel findings; and preparinginterim and final evaluation reports.ASSESSMENTS: The contract work will include assessments of current and potential NASAprograms to include technical assessments relative to the likely performance of technicalsystems and the impact of new technologies on technical systems; management assessmentsrelative to the effectiveness of management systems, processes, and tools and componentsof NASA programs; cost assessment activities relative to mission development andlife-cycle costs and cost risk; schedule assessments to analyze past mission developmentschedules, estimating mission development schedules and assessing schedule risk; as wellas other assessments including risk; safety; environmental impact; mission trajectory;resource utilization; analyses of instruments, spacecraft and launch vehicle designs;systems engineering; fabrication; and assembly, test and launch operations on programs orprojects.STUDIES: The contract work includes special studies including: management studies togather information and analyze options for possible management systems; gatheringinformation and analyzing the structure, performance and effectiveness of actualmanagement systems in NASA programs and in similar endeavors; scientific study activitiesto gather information and review systems for handling and analyzing samples ofextraterrestrial materials; planetary protection, defining payloads to meet scientificgoals; investigating potential science objectives for small, low-cost missions; andinvestigating the applicability of science concepts to particular missions; technicalstudy activities include analyzing the feasibility of instrument, spacecraft and missiondesign; investigating mission options and associated performance expectations; analyzingsystem designs; analyzing technologies needed to accomplish specific goals; analyzingpropulsion and mission operations capabilities; and analyzing data handling and analysissystems; and scientific and engineering analyses, studies and evaluations ofrequirements, management and technical and logistics support for the purpose ofconducting informational workshops and conferences.INFORMATION SYSTEM SUPPORT: The contract work will include support for the development ofsecure information systems necessary to accomplish evaluations, assessments and studies.Work will involve subject matter expertise, or data related to subject matter expertise,required to support a third party systems development contractor in generatinginformation systems for evaluations, studies, and assessments; to include informationnecessary for the third party contractor to implement and populate information systemssuch as databases, web pages, or analysis tools. The contract work will require that thecontractor's personal computer (PC) based system be compatible with a MAC based system.FACILITIES AND LOGISTICS SUPPORT: The contract work will include logistics support forevaluations, meetings, conferences and related workshops, to include, but not limited to:distributing information to evaluation panel members, developing and maintaining anevaluator contact list, a proposal distribution plan, a meeting attendance plan; briefingevaluators on conflict of interest issues; ensuring all evaluators have signed anon-disclosure agreements and delivered all OCI related documentation required by thecontract and panel. The contract work will include ensuring the logistics for eachmeeting or site visit are appropriate, preparing the compliance matrix; maintainingattendance logs; emailing approved questions to proposers; preparing and evaluatingbriefing books; generating and distributing explanatory materials; providing logisticalsupport as necessary; preparing and distributing documentation on conference/workshopresults; making appropriate number of copies of videos and handouts; and providingaudio-visual equipment, copiers, computers and printers.The contract work will also include requirements to provide secure facilities (i.e., at alevel of protection sufficient to prevent unauthorized access to source selectioninformation) secure internet access and information technology hook-ups for up to 100attendees.The contract work will also require that the offeror/vendor staff evaluation panels witha large number of subject matter experts (up to 100 evaluators), which might include asignificant number of subcontracted or consultant evaluators.CAPABILITY STATEMENTS: Interested offerors/vendors having the required specializedcapabilities to perform the effort as described above should submit capability statementsof seven pages or less, indicating those capabilities. The capabilities statements shouldinclude a summary of the offeror/vendor's specialized technical capabilities to meet therequirements above. In addition, to assess the capabilities of small business concerns,the capability statements from small businesses should address the vendor's ability tocomply with Federal Acquisition Regulation clause 52.219-14, Limitations onSubcontracting (Dec 1996), section (b)(1) which requires that at least 50 percent of thecost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees ofthe concern. The capability statements should address the offeror/vendor's capability tomanage and finance performance under the contract, especially considering the staffingrequirements for the evaluation panels.Teaming arrangements are permitted. Please provide a discussion of the teamingrelationship if you intend to form a team for this procurement. If the teaming partnersare already identified, you should provide the name of all substantial teaming partners,to include prime joint venture participants and major subcontractors, the anticipatedtype of teaming arrangements, address the specific services each member will provide, andinclude applicable capabilities for each member. In some cases you may be able to jointventure with one or more small businesses and not be considered affiliated as long aseach member of the joint venture is small under the applicable NAICS code (13 CFR121.103(h)(3)). The limitation on subcontracting would apply to the cooperative effort ofthe joint venture not each individual member (13 CFR 125.6(i))."Vendors are advised that the resultant solicitation will contain stringent requirementswith regards to Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI), non-disclosure of sensitiveand proprietary information, as well as limitations on future contracting. As part of thecapability statements, the vendor should also address the offerors/vendors capability andwillingness to comply with Organizational Conflict of Interest avoidance, includingsubmitting avoidance plans with each task plan, non-disclosure, and limitation of futurecontracting requirements.Capability statements must also include the following: Name and address of firm, size ofbusiness; average annual revenue for the past 3 years, and number of employees;ownership; based on the NAICS standard cited above, whether they are large, small, smalldisadvantaged, 8(a), HUBZone, and/or veteran or woman-owned; number of years in business;affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, potential teamingpartners, prime contractor (if potential sub) or subcontractors (if potential prime);list of relevant work performed in the past five years, contract numbers, technicaldescription, contract type, dollar value of each procurement; and point of contact withemail, physical address and phone number. Please advise if the requirement is consideredto be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101.This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as acommitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited.Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. No solicitationexists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation isreleased it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition InternetService. It is the potential offeror's responsibility to monitor these sites for therelease of any solicitation or synopsis.All responses are requested to be submitted by email to timothy.p.cannella@nasa.gov nolater than 1200 noon ET, 9 October 2009. Responses may also be submitted to NASA LangleyResearch Center, Attn: Timothy P. Cannella, Mail Stop 126, Hampton VA 23681. Pleasereference SS-SSO in any response.Technical questions should be directed to Jennings B. Cherry, Phone: 757-864-2465, Email:jennings.b.cherry@nasa.gov with "Technical Question" annotated in the subject line.Procurement related questions should be directed to Timothy P. Cannella at 757-864-5028,Email: timothy.p.cannellla@nasa.gov with "Contracting Question" annotated in the subjectline. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business or 8(a) set-asidebased on responses, hereto.
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