SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Independent and objective support services in aeronautical and space systems engineering - Package #1
- Notice Date
- 2/14/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NESDIS Acquisition Division, SSMC3 - Room 10100/OFA64, 1315 East West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910
- ZIP Code
- 20910
- Solicitation Number
- EE133E-RQ-12-0101
- Archive Date
- 3/9/2012
- Point of Contact
- Joel L. Perlroth, Phone: (301) 713-9204
- E-Mail Address
-
joel.l.perlroth@noaa.gov
(joel.l.perlroth@noaa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is conducting market research for the purposes of identifying sources who have demonstrated capabilities in the area of aeronautical and space systems engineering. No solicitation of offers is made by this synopsis. NOAA/NESDIS is dedicated to providing timely access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources to promote, protect, and enhance the Nation's economy, security, environment, and quality of life. To fulfill its responsibilities, NESDIS acquires and manages the Nation's operational environmental satellites, provides data, and information services, and conducts related research. NESDIS manages NOAA's operational polar-orbiting environmental satellite program. NOAA/NESDIS' objective is to provide the spacecraft, launch services, and ground systems necessary to maintain the uninterrupted flow of remotely-sensed environmental data required to promote, protect, and enhance the Nation's economy, security, environment, and quality of life. Further information regarding the requirements of this program can be found at the following web site: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov. NESDIS also organizationally houses the Technology, Planning and Integration for Observations (TPIO) program. TPIO functions as the analytical resource arm of the NOAA Observing Systems Council (NOSC), chaired by Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA's Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction, with vice chairs from three other NOAA Line Offices, National Weather Service, NESDIS, and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. The program provides the assessments and analyses of NOAA's Observing System Portfolio resulting in data-driven, strategic investment recommendations for the NOSC. This support reaches the highest levels of NOAA's leadership and requires access to and assessment of very sensitive, government proprietary information on over 200 observing system technical capabilities, specific system costs, product impacts from each of these systems and very sensitive leadership-determined priorities/rankings of the over 65 Programs across NOAA. This assessment work leads to briefings and recommendations to NOAA senior leadership on observation system capabilities, budget issues, system utility and the best combination of observing systems in NOAA's portfolio. Our work in this area is considered "cutting edge" across Federal Government and our model is now being implemented by USGS and the National Earth Observations (NEO) task force under the President's Office of Science, Technology and Policy. TPIO has been designated to directly apply our analysis methodology and tools developed by MITRE to this high priority, federal level, Task Force. This assessment of critical observing systems, identified across over 17 federal agencies, is due Jul 01, 2012. This analysis is a direct deliverable to OSTP and OMB for impact to the FY13 and FY 14 President's Budget. Further information regarding the requirements of this program can be found at the following web site: http://www.tpio.nosc.noaa.gov/tpio/. NESDIS needs an organization to provide independent and objective support over the next five years in architecture planning development for all of NOAA's observing systems, acquisition support, systems development, operations support, and assessments of technology opportunities and alternatives for future and current polar satellite programs as well as domestic and foreign commercial satellite technology and policy implementation. The primary tasks under the resultant contract would be for support of NOAA's largest Satellite Program (approximately 20% of NOAA's overall budget) and analytical assessments of all of NOAA's observing systems, their requirements and capabilities and how they affect NOAA's budget and effectiveness for the execution of NOAA's Mission, as well as the same kind of effort on a National level. Because of the sensitive nature of these services, we need an organization who will not experience significant organizational conflicts of interest from any analysis and recommendations in support of the agency mission. Currently, NOAA/NESDIS is acquiring these services as the result of a sole source acquisition with the MITRE Corporation pursuant to 41 USC 253 (c)(1) and has done so for about seventeen years. MITRE possesses significant NOAA domain expertise and experience. This knowledge spans satellite programs, observing systems, observing requirements, societal benefits, environmental/weather knowledge, and significant analytic and economic skill sets which allow TPIO to produce recommendations, studies, assessments that are unbiased and free of organizational conflicts of interest. These activities look heavily into NOAA's budget and spending over future years and a Federally Funded Research and Development Center is the only entity capable of handling the job. FFRDCs are unique independent nonprofit entities sponsored and funded by the U.S. government to meet specific long-term technical needs that cannot be met by any other single organization. FFRDCs typically assist government agencies with scientific research and analysis, systems development, and systems acquisition. They bring together the expertise and outlook of government, industry, and academia to solve complex technical problems. TPIO is currently working on one such complex critical analysis and assessment that will influence the upcoming budget estimates for FY-13 and FY-14, any interruption in support would significantly impact the TIPO Program and NOAA. MITRE also led the development of the JPSS instruments to spacecraft interface requirements document. This document has been managed by MITRE for over a decade now, and MITRE employees have lead the negotiation of the interface agreements with each of the Ball, ITT, Raytheon, NGES, and NGAS instruments. Their knowledge of the history and rationale for the agreements would be extremely difficult and costly to replace, and would increase the difficulty risk of dealing with technical issues during JPSS-1 Spacecraft integration, test and operations. Recreating this knowledge within JPSS would jeopardize the improvement and updates to the ADL, significantly increasing JPSS costs for integrating science code into the operational baseline of the processing system and potentially causing an adverse impact to the Calibration and Validation activities. FFRDC work in the public interest and operate as strategic partners with their sponsoring government agencies to ensure the highest levels of objectivity and technical excellence. If based on the results of this description and the evaluation of any capability statement(s) submitted in response to this synopsis, it is determined that there are no other qualified sources, this synopsis will serve as the notice of intent to negotiate on a sole source basis with the MITRE Corporation and will meet the publication requirements of a proposed sole source award. The two primary tasks under any resultant contract would be for support of the Joint Polar Satellite System Program Office and the Technology, Planning and Integration for Observations Program. The Government estimates the following level of effort per year: 6816 senior professional hours and 384 technical and administrative for approximately 3 staff members per year to be provided on site and 0.75 reach-back support (based on an estimated 1,920 productive person year). Note the justification is for the proposed one-month interim. The information above, describes the full requirements over a fivce year period. The Contractor will be required to provide qualified management, personnel, organizational structure, procedural and administration functions to effectively and efficiently manage the work performed under any contract. Interested offerors having the specialized capabilities to meet the above requirements should submit a capability statement of 15 pages or less within 15 days of the publication of this announcement. In addition to addressing organizational conflicts of interest, the capability statement should address the organization's ability to support all aspects of the aforementioned technical capabilities, and specifically address the following: Describe relevant organizational experiences in performance and management of Research and Development in the area of aeronautical, space systems engineering, defining and developing current and next generation operational environmental satellite systems. Experience with TPIO work, familiarity with all of NOAA observing systems and capabilities, the NOSIA and HIPOS tasks, and the tools used for those assessments and analyses. The contractor must possess knowledge of observation system capabilities, utilities, the CasaNOSA database, the NOAA requirements collection and validation process. The support provided must also have polar satellite experience, knowledge of DoD systems and procedures, working knowledge of JPSS instruments to spacecraft interface requirements, working knowledge of ADL and it's design and implementation, working knowledge of JPSS change control processes, conomic factors of our systems and how they relate to societal benefits. Recent work with cost benefit analysis, meteorology, oceanography, operations research, systems engineering are also needed. Reference and provide detailed examples of work in the technical areas listed above. Detail relevant organizational experiences for contracts with multiple tasks and/or projects and include average number of tasks/year managed. Identify the credentials of key staff members, their contributions on other similar projects, and their availability to any resultant contract. Detail relevant organizational experience with confidential and sensitive information and the avoidance of conflicts of interests (as noted above). In addition to addressing technical capabilities, responses must include the following: name and address of firm, size of business (i.e., large, small, small disadvantaged business, woman owned, etc.); average annual revenue for past 3 years and number of employees; ownership; number of years in business; affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, potential teaming partner's, prime contractor (if potential subcontractor) or subcontractors (if potential prime); list of customers covering the past five years (highlight relevant work performed, contract numbers, contract type, dollar value of each procurement; point of contact - address and phone number), and list any existing Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACS) for which you are currently qualified. Telephone responses are NOT solicited. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. This synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to award a contract nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Responses must be received in writing no later than by the date specified in the notice.
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