SOLICITATION NOTICE
U -- GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN SPACE SYSTEM ENGINEERING
- Notice Date
- 1/20/2012
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- NASA Shared Services Center Procurement Division Building 1111 Stennis SpaceCenter, MS 39529-6000
- ZIP Code
- 39529-6000
- Solicitation Number
- NNX12TA67P
- Response Due
- 2/10/2012
- Archive Date
- 1/20/2013
- Point of Contact
- William Richard Horton, Contract Specialist, Phone 228-813-6120, Fax 228-813-6493, Email william.r.horton@nasa.gov - Eli Ouder, Contracting Officer, Phone 228-813-6168, Fax 228-813-6315, Email eli.c.ouder@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
William Richard Horton
(william.r.horton@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NASA/NSSC intends to issue a sole source contract to Stevens Institute ofTechnology School of Systems & Enterprises/Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken, NJ 07030 fora training program entitled Graduate Certificate in Space System Engineering. Theobjective of the program is to provide a project management leadership curriculum for JSCemployees selected for the Space Systems Engineering Development Program. The contractorshall provide a Graduate Certificate Program in Space Systems Engineering for 26participants in SSEDP. The curriculum in this program must satisfy the following requirements:The curriculum shall consist of 2 modules earning each participant 3 semesterhours of graduate credit per module. The modules shall be delivered in the followingformat:-Each module shall consist of 40 hours (5 days) of in-class instruction brokeninto segments designated as Part A & Part B.-Participants shall have 5 weeks between Part A & Part B to accomplish classassignments, papers, and individual and group projects. -Participants shall have 5 weeks between the end of a module and the beginning ofthe next module. -The curriculum shall emphasize space systems design and development, key spacesystems engineering processes and tools, and a holistic understanding of systemsengineering principles. The curriculum will be customized to address these key areas. -The curriculum shall emphasize systems engineering and integration of spacehardware and software, organizations, people, processes, and tools. -The curriculum shall emphasize crucial activities spanning the entire projectlifecycle. -The curriculum shall combine lectures, classroom activities, case studies,readings, individual and group projects, papers, and development assignments that can beapplied to the participants' on-the-job project work. -The curriculum shall be provided onsite at NASA JSC or offsite within a 5 mileradius of NASA JSC. -The curriculum shall be provided according to a flexible delivery schedule thatis suited to the needs and constraints of the participants in the SSEDP. This may includerescheduling modules to avoid interference with mission schedule and goals or redesigningthe delivery format. -The group and individual projects required for each module will be based on realNASA projects. The products produced will provide benefit back to the project and willprovide experiential learning opportunities for the participants.-The two modules shall emphasize the following Space Systems Engineeringcapabilities and topics:oMission and System Design Verification and ValidationThis course provides hands-on opportunities to apply key principals of space systemsengineering. Students are given a set of customer expectations in the form of broadmission objectives. Using state-of-the-industry mission design and analysis tools,students apply systems engineering processes to define top-level system requirements,design key elements, and conclude with a system design review. In V&V, participantsexperience system realization processes first hand by integrating, verifying, validating,and delivering the shoe box-sized EyasSAT satellite. From the part-level to the systemlevel, participants implement a rigorous assembly, integration, verification, andvalidation plan on space hardware/software applying 'test like you fly, fly like youtest' principles. oSystem Architecture and DesignThis course discusses the fundamentals of system architecting and the architectingprocess, along with practical heuristics. Furthermore, the course has a strong 'how-to'orientation, and numerous case studies are used to convey and discuss good architecturalconcepts as well as lessons learned. Adaptation of the architectural process to ensureeffective application of COTS will also be discussed. In this regard, the courseparticipants will be introduced to an architectural assessment and evaluation model. Linkages between early architectural decisions, driven by customer requirements andconcept of operations, and the system operational and support costs are highlighted.The curriculum shall provide instruction in accordance with NASA ProceduralRequirements 7123.IA and the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook. At a minimum, thecurriculum should cover the following Systems Engineering principles and topics outlinedin the NPR and the Handbook: oFundamentals of Systems EngineeringoSystem Design-Stakeholder Expectations-Technical Requirements Definition-Logical Decomposition-Design Solution DefinitionoProduct Realization-Product Implementation-Product Integration-Product Verification-Product Validation-Product TransitionoTechnical Management-Technical Planning-Requirements Management-Interface Management-Technical Risk Management-Configuration Management-Technical Data Management-Technical Assessment-Decision AnalysisoEngineering with ContractsoIntegrated Design FacilitiesoEngineering Design ToolsoHuman Factors EngineeringThe contractor shall meet the following requirements:The contractor shall have demonstrated previous positive performance in providinga graduate certificate program in Space Systems Engineering at least one NASA fieldcenter. The contractor shall be accredited in accordance with the U.S. Department ofEducation guidelines. The contractor shall have previously demonstrated a substantial knowledge of NASAspace system engineering practices, procedures, priorities and development requirements. The provider must be flexible to allow tailoring of the assigned individual andgroup projects to make them more relevant to the participant.This offering shall be held at the Holiday Inn near NASAs Johnson Space Center beginningFebruary 27, 2012.Pursuant to FAR 13.106(b), the acquisition of these services has been determined to bereasonably available from only one source. Competition is impractical for the followingreasons: This unique curriculum in Space System Engineering is provided by the Stevens Instituteof Technology, which currently provides the largest graduate program in systemengineering in the U.S. and is the largest provider of system engineering educationworldwide. Stevens Institute is an internationally-recognized university withspecialization in system engineering for space applications. The Stevens Instituteinstructors have written and/or edited the only integrated collection of 14 publishedtextbooks and references that capture the full spectrum of system engineering and itsapplication to NASA design experience and lessons learned. Further, Stevens Institute isthe provider of choice for system engineering training for the National Security Agency,Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Defense and key industry organizations.This one-of-a-kind curriculum provides NASA's aspiring and practicing system engineerswith design experience and lessons learned from over 35 years of NASA, Department ofDefense and industry experience designing and operating space missions and systems. Thecurriculum courses are 3-semester hour modules which constitute the only program in theU.S. offering the following unique combination of hands-on space system engineeringdevelopment:Space domain focus on system engineeringbalanced and integrated technical domainand system management tied to NASA's NPR 7123.1a and NASA's Systems Engineering Handbook.Hands-on courses and laboratories are delivered onsite which saves travel dollarsfor JSC and time for employees. The courses have a flexible delivery, scheduled to suit employee constraints andwork schedules (for example employees attend 3 days in one week, have a break of 3-4weeks, and then complete the remaining 2 days in another week).Professors actually wrote the book. Applied Space System Engineering, along witha host of NASA employees, industry and other government experts in space systemengineering. This book forms the foundation of the curriculum.These two courses earn participants 3-semester hours of graduate credit leadingto a Graduate Certificate in Space Systems Engineering. Since May 2007, JSC has piloted three system engineering curriculum including programsfrom University of Southern California, California Institute of Technology, and theStevens Institute of Technology. Based on written and verbal feedback received from theparticipants, the Stevens Institute curriculum received the highest ratings of the threeprograms because the curriculum emphasized design and development of space systems,whereas the other two programs did not. In addition, participants stated that the breadthof knowledge the instructors possessed was far superior to any previous systemsengineering instructors they had encountered because the instructors had 'real-world'experience. Furthermore, participants stated that the curriculum content had immediateapplication and relevance to their current projects and work assignments. In addition,this curriculum was used in the inaugural class of JSC's Space Systems EngineeringDevelopment Program from 2008 - 2010, and the curriculum continues to receive ravingreviews for content and quality of instruction. NASA/JSC's Engineering Directorate andConstellation SE&I, in conjunction with Human Resources and many of NASA/JSC's finestsystem engineers, have worked for the past 18 months to shape this program to meet theexact needs of NASA/JSC employees. While other vendors may provide generic systemengineering curriculum, it would not be time or cost effective for NASA to select anothervendor, which would require the vendor to customize the content for space applications. Stevens Institute Technology professors. Dr. Dinesh Verma and Dr. Wiley Larson and theirteam, are the only known source that can provide the necessary breadth and depth of thisintegrated curriculum across the spectrum of robotic space systems and crewed spacesystems. Research using the internet web determined that no other firms or universitieswere able to perform this requirement. Due to Steven's Institute's 55 years of uniqueexperience in system engineering training and education with other governmental agenciesand leading companies, and the fact that the workshops are derived from NASA experience,Stevens is the only reasonable choice to meet NASA's requirements. The Steven'sInstitute is one of the oldest universities in the country, specializing in systemengineering education and training. Their knowledge of NASA programs, culture, andinteraction with personnel has proven their capability. Due to the legacy of successthat this space system engineering development concept has demonstrated, there is noother source that can replicate the comprehensiveness and quality of this supplier'straining.The Government intends to acquire a commercial item using the procedures in FAR Part13.106.Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform theeffort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 3:00 p.m. centralstandard time on February 10, 2012. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluatedsolely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on acompetitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed efforton a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solelywithin the discretion of the government.Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.Capabilities and qualifications should be submitted to Amanda McInnis atAmanda.T.McInnis@nasa.gov.An Ombudsman has been appointed. See NASA Specific Note 'B'.Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
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