SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- CLARREO INFRARED SUITES
- Notice Date
- 2/11/2011
- 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-CLARREO-IRSUITE
- Response Due
- 3/4/2011
- Archive Date
- 2/11/2012
- Point of Contact
- Robert B. Gardner, Contracting Officer, Phone 757-864-2525, Fax 757-864-7898, Email Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Robert B. Gardner
(Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NASA/LaRC is hereby soliciting information about potential sources with thecapabilities to design, fabricate, test, calibrate, and deliver multiple Infrared (IR)Suites consisting of a Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) covering 5-50 microns(2000-200 cm-1) and an on-orbit calibration and verification system in support of theClimate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory Mission (CLARREO) mission. Seehttp://clarreo.larc.nasa.gov/ for additional information.No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If asolicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA AcquisitionInternet Service. It is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor these sitesfor the release of any solicitation or synopsis.Responses must include the following: name and address of firm, size of business;average annual revenue for past 3 years and number of employees; ownership; whether theyare large, small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), HUBZone, and/or woman-owned; number of yearsin business; affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, potentialteaming partners, prime contractor (if potential sub) or subcontractors (if potentialprime); list of customers covering the past five years (highlight relevant workperformed, contract numbers, contract type, dollar value of each procurement; and pointof contact - address and phone number). Technical questions should be directed to: AlanLittle at (757) 864-1656. Procurement related questions should be directed to: BradGardner at (757) 864-2525.CLARREO is a climate-focused mission. The foundation for CLARREO is its ability toproduce accurate climate records through the use of exacting traceability of theinstrument measurements to international metrology standards. The CLARREO mission is intended to meet climate measurement needs through carefulconsideration of the instrument design, calibration traceability at all stages ofdevelopment and operation, and spectral, spatial, and temporal sampling focusedspecifically on the creation of accurate, long-term climate data records. Currentsatellite based sensors do not meet the rigorous accuracy requirements needed toestablish climate data records capable of detecting and attributing decadal change. CLARREO is one of several Decadal Survey missions defined in 2007 in a report issued bythe National Research Council (NRC). NASA Langley is implementing the CLARREO mission,one of four Tier 1 missions identified in the Decadal Survey. CLARREOs projected LaunchReadiness Date is 2018. A key element of a successful mission will be showing thatCLARREOs measurements meet the requirements defined by the Decadal Survey for accuracyand traceability to international measurement standards, for the duration of the mission. The key characteristic of the CLARREO IR instruments is that they must be stable andcharacterizable to a level approximately an order of magnitude better than current flightsensors. The design and fabrication of these sensors must allow for calibration to therequired absolute accuracies, without inducing artifacts or other systematic errors thatviolate these requirements. The purpose of this sources sought market survey is to identify possible instrumentproviders and potential subcontractors for the IR suite and assess their ability todeliver instruments that meet the performance requirements and constraints as follows.The infrared instrument suite consists of an infrared spectrometer and a performanceverification system that is used to maintain Systme International (SI) traceability onorbit. The infrared spectrometer includes an internal full field blackbody calibrationsource; a single-axis scan mirror used to select between deep space, calibration, earth,and verification system views; fore and aft optics; a Fourier transform spectrometer ascurrently baselined for the spectrometer core; the detector assemblies; and associatedelectronics. The scan mirror will also provide image motion compensation of Earth scenesdue to the spacecraft orbital motion. The verification system includes a variabletemperature full-field blackbody source (VBB), a system for providing on-orbitSI-traceable calibration of the VBB temperature sensors, a system for measuring the VBBcavity emissivity, a full-field monochromatic source for verifying instrument line shape,and an alternate space view used to quantify polarization effects.The conceptual spectrometer requirements are:1) Frequency range: 200-2000 cm-1 (2760 cm-1 goal, with extended range at relaxedradiometric performance and resolution);2) Spectral resolution: 0.5 cm-1 (unapodized for FTS);3) Single spectrum precision: better than 1K in brightness temperature to enable timelyestimation of measurement bias;4) Absolute accuracy of seasonal global mean: 0.1K (coverage factor k=3) in brightnesstemperature over the range of Earth scenes.The conceptual field of view (FOV) requirements are:1) Instantaneous field of view (IFOV): 25 km, single pixel, nadir view only;2) Ground track distance between IFOV: 200 km, corresponding roughly to 30 secondsbetween Earth views.The ground sampling scheme of a single 25 km pixel every 200 km provides sampling ofnatural variability sufficient to produce meaningful global seasonal averages.The conceptual accommodation requirements are:1) Mass: 75 kg;2) Power: 125 W average, 235 W peak;3) Volume: 0.3 m3.These accommodation requirements are compatible with launch on a small to medium classlaunch vehicle such as a Minotaur IV.* Minimum Operational life: 3 years* Nominal Orbit Altitude: 609 kilometers* Orbit: Earth orbiting, 90 degree polar inclination* Risk classification of 'C' should be assumed per NASA Procedural Requirement (NPR)8705.4 Risk Classification for NASA PayloadsThe tentative Instrument Development Schedule for the IR follows:Contract Award 5/2012PDR 9/2012CDR 12/2013IR #1 Delivery 10/2016IR #2 Delivery 03/2017IR #3 Delivery 04/2017Instrument Funding Constraints:The overall mission and instrument funding is highly constrained such that minimal copycosts of the instruments are required to fit within the planned budgets. Responses to this sources sought synopsis will allow NASA to assess the capabilities ofpotential vendors to design, fabricate, test, calibrate, and deliver the complete IRinstrument suites per the performance requirements and other constraints describedherein. The Project is also interested in potential suppliers of instrument subsystemssuch as spectrometers, optics, detectors, and calibration sources and ground supportequipment such as calibration facilities. Responses shall be limited to 25 pages andinclude the following:1)Capabilities as related to workforce experience and adequacy of facilities.2)Current vendor capacity with regard to workforce and facility availability todevelop the IR instruments within the required timeframe.3)Ability to deliver three space flight instruments per the schedule above.4)Vendor provided recommended approach for development of IR instrument.5)Vendor provided cost, schedule, and workforce estimates.6)Willingness to agree to fully expose all design aspects and details to thegovernment, transfer full intellectual property rights to the government, and deliver alldrawings, requirements, specifications, procedures, plans, and analyses to thegovernment. 7)Willingness to have the government participate as an active member of the testand characterization team for the engineering models and flight units. 8)Past cost, schedule, and technical performance on similar instruments.9)Identification subcontracting opportunities for Small, Small Disadvantaged,Women-Owned small, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, HUBZone Small,Veteran-Owned Small and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns. NASA isinterested in responses from both potential prime contractors as well as potentialsubcontractors. The NAICS Code and Size Standard are 541712 and 1500 employeesrespectively.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. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business or 8(a) set-aside based onresponses hereto. All responses shall be submitted to Alan Little at a.little@nasa.govand Brad Gardner at robert.b.gardner@nasa.gov no later than March 4, 2011. Pleasereference SS-CLARREO-IRSUITE in any response. Any referenced notes may be viewed at thefollowing URLs linked below.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/NASA/LaRC/OPDC20220/SS-CLARREO-IRSUITE/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02379018-W 20110213/110211234739-4fbd7e1c6ac59a86d73e820e11feacc1 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |