SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- AVIONICS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS
- Notice Date
- 5/10/2005
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541330
— Engineering Services
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas, 77058-3696, Mail Code: BH
- ZIP Code
- 77058-3696
- Solicitation Number
- NNJ05111468R
- Response Due
- 6/23/2005
- Archive Date
- 5/10/2006
- Point of Contact
- Jessica M. Niebuhr, Contracting Officer, Phone (281) 483-3916, Fax (281) 483-6336, Email jessica.m.niebuhr@nasa.gov - Jessica E. Brooks, Contract Specialist, Phone (281) 244-0132, Fax (281) 483-7890, Email jessica.e.brooks@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Jessica M. Niebuhr
(jessica.m.niebuhr@nasa.gov)
- Description
- NASA/JSC has a requirement for engineering development and associated analysis activities within the areas of guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) systems, integrated avionics systems and autonomous flight operations systems. This work can be classified as (1) Space Shuttle Avionics Systems Development and Assessment, (2) International Space Station (ISS) Engineering Development and Assessment or (3) Avionics and GN&C Research and Technology Development for Advanced Space Systems. NASA/JSC intends to purchase the items from Charles Stark Draper Laboratories, Inc. Draper is the only company to have provided this capability to JSC, beginning with the Apollo program and continuing through the Shuttle and ISS programs. Draper has the in-house knowledge, unique skills, and critical capabilities required to provide GN&C analysis to enable the Government’s Certification of Flight Readiness for both Shuttle and ISS. Draper provides crucial insight in its support of both the NASA System Expert (NSE) for Shuttle On-orbit Flight Control and the ISS GN&C System Manager in providing flight rationale for each Shuttle/ISS assembly flight. Company unique skills enable Draper to provide flight control system design and analysis, flight control software development, reaction jet phase plane design and analysis, flexible structure dynamics analysis, and controller–structure interaction analysis. Successful execution of this work is dependent upon Draper’s extensive experience and expertise in the Shuttle flight control system, the ISS flight control system, the ISS Russian flight control system, Shuttle flight software development process, Shuttle real-time mission support, and all the associated tools required to perform those analyses. Flight control analyses, by its very nature, is vehicle dependent. Therefore, it requires Draper’s extensive knowledge of detailed vehicle parameters and characteristics and experienced engineering judgment which is often called upon in order to successfully develop and analyze vehicle control systems. Draper personnel have the specific historical knowledge as well as the broad control system experience necessary to perform this analysis. Over the life of the program, Draper has been responsible for developing flight-to-flight software parameters, processing and evaluating software changes, providing real-time mission support, and in-flight anomaly resolution. Due to the importance of these capabilities, the Shuttle Program has, on numerous occasions, elected not to transition this responsibility to the prime contractor, Boeing, because of the recognized unique capabilities that Draper retains. For the ISS Program, Draper assesses the dynamics and control of the ISS for all assembly configurations and aides in the development of flight rationale for the Certificate of Flight Readiness. Draper is skilled in providing flight control system assessment of both the prime contractor (Boeing) and the Russian GN&C systems. The ISS represents the largest and most complex space structure ever built. The complexity of its flexible dynamic characteristics represents an unprecedented challenge. The predominant portion of the tools required to perform this and similar types of analysis were developed by Draper. Draper has the historical knowledge required to do this work efficiently, effectively, and safely due to its experience in fully understanding all the complex mathematical models required to perform the analysis. Draper is a cutting edge organization working at the leading edge of GN&C technology. This technology, specifically work in Micro Electro Mechanical (MEMS) devices, autonomous flight systems, advanced flight control, and advanced integrated GN&C systems, is critical for the Government to support the Exploration activities. Draper has a history of supplying NASA with a MEMS rate gyro to the AERCam project. This is currently the only MEMS gyro in existence that can meet NASA’s stringent level of performance requirements to accommodate the harsh conditions found in the environment of outer space. In the area of autonomous flight systems, Draper is responsible for providing the predominant portion of groundbreaking work that went into the Shuttle Abort Flight Management (SAFM) software, as part of the Shuttle’s Cockpit Upgrades Program. SAFM represents the first steps toward more autonomous systems that will be required for the Exploration Initiative. Lastly, Draper is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the Timeliner software that is currently being used on ISS and is crucial in the automation of crew and ground procedures. Draper is the only source available in the case of this follow-on contract that has the unique experience and capabilities required for the continued provision of highly specialized services which are critical to the effective, efficient, and safe operation of space flight and it is likely that award to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition. Significant prohibitive barriers, inclusive of an extensive and costly transition period, exist to a full and open competition resulting in an award to a non-incumbent. The non-incumbent would be required to become certified for all of the incumbent’s unique processes, procedures, tools, and capabilities, which are critical and essential elements in the successful performance of this scope of work. The incumbent workforce is certified to develop flight software parameters and conduct analysis that leads directly to flight readiness statements. Requirements for transition to a non-incumbent would require that a non-incumbent acquire a level of knowledge similar to that of Draper. A non-incumbent would be required to demonstrate a level of knowledge and skill necessary to provide GN&C analysis to enable the Government’s safe Certification of Flight Readiness for both Shuttle and ISS. This would be a lengthy process that could impede NASA’s ability to meet a launch schedule. The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See Note 26. See note 22. 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. NOTE: THIS NOTICE WAS NOT POSTED TO WWW.FEDBIZOPPS.GOV ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (10-MAY-2005); HOWEVER, IT DID APPEAR IN THE FEDBIZOPPS FTP FEED ON THIS DATE. PLEASE CONTACT fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
- Web Link
-
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- Record
- SN00803952-F 20050512/050510212151 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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