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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF FEBRUARY 18, 2011 FBO #3373
SOLICITATION NOTICE

A -- TATU Repair & Other R&D Tasks - J&A TATU 10 Feb 11

Notice Date

2/16/2011
 

Notice Type

Justification and Approval (J&A)
 

NAICS

541712 — Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
 

Contracting Office

Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, 2251 Maxwell Ave, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, 87117
 

ZIP Code

87117
 

Solicitation Number

FA9453-11-R-0270
 

Point of Contact

Francis M. Eggert, Phone: 5058467603
 

E-Mail Address

Francis.Eggert@kirtland.af.mil
(Francis.Eggert@kirtland.af.mil)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Award Number

FA9453-11-C-0270
 

Award Date

3/18/2011
 

Description

J&A for TATU Repair & Other R&D Tasks NOTE! This is a Notice Of Contract Action (NOCA.) COORDINATION AND APPROVAL DOCUMENT (also known as Justification Review Document) Contracting Activity: AFRL/RVKB Contact Type: Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) (Form 36) Purchase Request/Local Identification Number: FA9453-11-R-0270 to Contract FA9453-11-C-0270 Project/Program Name (and Program Element, if applicable): Repair, Rework, Redesign and Testing of Transmission Amplifier and Tuning Unit (TATU) and the Transmitter Control Unit (TCU) for the Wave-Induced Precipitation of Electron Radiation (WIPER) instrument for I&T to the Demonstration & Science Experiments (DSX) Spacecraft Estimated Contract Cost (including options) - Total: $260,940.00. Basic: $115,701.00 with Six Options Valued: $145,239.00 for possible redesign, removal & replacement, and testing, as required. Type Program: Other Contracting Authority: 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(3), as implemented by FAR 6.302-3(a)(2)(iii), Only One Responsible Source. JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION I. CONTRACTING ACTIVITY Agency and Contracting Activity: Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RVE) has designed and matured the Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) program as an experimental space mission. This contractual activity is a repair effort for the Transmitter Amplifier and Tuning Units (TATUs) which are a mission-critical element of the Wave-Induced Precipitation of Electron Radiation (WIPER) instrument, which was damaged during Integration & Testing (I&T) for the DSX spacecraft. The TATU was designed and developed under subcontracting efforts by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) for the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), and the UML delivered the TATU and other WIPER components to the prime contractor, Stanford University. The TATU with the other mission-critical components of the WIPER instrument are expected to be launched on the DSX spacecraft, and it is currently on a critical-path for Integration & Testing (I&T) here at AFRL. This is a Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition. II. NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING PROCESSED This action is expected to be awarded as a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) contract, with an estimated total value of $260,940.00 if all Options exercised with an expected award of March 2011 for a 8-week period of performance from award for the basic effort, and an additional 8-weeks total if all Options are exercised. This repair effort is expected to support the DSX program, which currently has an expected launch date of October 2012. The TATU, which was part of the Wave-Induced Precipitation of Electron Radiation (WIPER) contract, FA8718-05-C-0027, was awarded to Leland Stanford Junior University, 651 Serra St., Stanford, CA 94305; awarded 20 May 2005; end of performance date 30 Nov 2010; issued by AFMC ESC/PKR, Electronic Systems Center, Air Force Materiel Command, USAF, 104 Barksdale Street, Bldg 1520, Hanscom AFB, MA 01731-1806, and the previous contracting officers for this effort were Ms. Janet L. Maille (janet.maille@hanscom.af.mil), and Ms. Tammy Taylor ( tammy.taylor@hanscom.af.mil). The WIPER contract was subcontracted to University and Massachusetts Lowell (UML) who was responsible for the majority of the electrical design, but further subcontracted to SwRI for technical work associated with designing the tuner and power/logic boards within a critical portion of the WIPER payload, the TATUs. Currently, no contractual relationship currently exists between SwRI and UML and Stanford University. This repair effort is necessary for the continuing highly-specialized engineering services that are required for the WIPER payload as a major spacecraft system currently under spacecraft integration for the DSX program. If these services had to be re-competed there would be substantial and unacceptable delays in the DSX program, as any new contractor would need to be trained to demonstrate knowledge and a full skill set that is necessary for the continuing efforts associated with the WIPER payload. This includes but not limited to understanding of the history of the manufacturing efforts, full operation and testing procedures and all testing results, calibration methods, calibration procedures, and calibration verification techniques used for the payload. As such, an award to any contractor other than the damaged hardware contractor, SwRI, would significantly impact the current DSX program schedule, and may cause a stop work for all WIPER activities associated with the DSX program until the new contractor could clearly demonstrate the comprehensive knowledge necessary to provide the highly specialized engineering services required for AFRL to meet its mission objectives and obligations. The resulting delay is realistically estimated at approximately six (6) months, primarily impacting integration of the WIPER payload into the DSX spacecraft and other activities leading up to launch and operations of the spacecraft. It is estimated that integration of the DSX spacecraft would suffer delays up to four (4) months as the new contractor becomes familiarized with the design, interfaces and testing history of the WIPER payload. Additionally, this delay would likely result in a loss of DSX's launch manifest and place the mission's viability at risk. Award of a sole-source repair contract to SwRI will ensure that the DSX program will not incur any unacceptable delays and unacceptable risk in meeting AFRL's requirements and obligations. Therefore, this acquisition is intended for the continued performance of the required highly-specialized services by the current contractor. III. DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES/SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE AGENCY'S NEEDS SwRI will provide highly specialized engineering services that are necessary and pertain to the failure of the TATU wiring connections and capacitors. The wiring and capacitors were originally developed and integrated by SwRI. The description of the supplies/services required to meet the agency's needs is as follows: a) Remove the conathane conformal coating as need be and remove and replace all jumper wires on SN001 and SN002 (serial number 001 and serial number 002). 1) Use Connectronics Corp. #22 AWG FEP Wire (part No 066-062-02). The wire is TBD during the basic efforts. 2) Install jumper wire support structure in coordination with the University of Massachusetts at Lowell (UML). 3) Tie down jumper wires to support as required per NASA-STD-8739.3. 4) Remove and replace all capacitor boards. 5) Verify capacitors 100% receiving inspection to include key electric characteristics. b) Remove and replace relay K32 on SN002. c) Perform a workmanship thermal cycle test at survival limits, (-40 °C to 50 °C, with >2 °C/min ramp rate) for 4 cycles with power off. d) Support UML at SwRI in performing functionality testing of the TATUs as required. e) Provide priced Options(s) to perform proto-qualification Vibration Testing on both TATUs and the TCU, 3 axis each as outlined below per paragraph h. f) Provide priced Options(s) to perform proto-qualification Shock Testing on both TATUs and the TCU, 3 axis each as outlined below per paragraph h. g) Ship back to AFRL via Fedex custom critical. h) Option efforts for repair, rework, re-design, and testing of the TATUs along with the TCU are listed below. 1) OPTION 1: Provide a design for and an analysis of a TATU wire support structure for securing the high voltage wires in each TATU. POP - 3 weeks. 2) OPTION 2: Remove and replace relays K1-K34 on both TATUs (except K32 which is task item b above). POP - 2 - weeks. 3) OPTION 3: Perform TCU vibration testing to proto-flight levels for 3 axis. POP - 4 days. 4) OPTION 4: Perform TATU vibration testing to proto-flight levels for 3 axis. POP - 4 days. 5) OPTION 5: Perform TCU shock testing to proto-flight levels for 3 axis. POP - 4 days. 6) OPTION 6: Perform TATU shock testing to proto-flight levels for 3 axis. POP - 4 days. IV. STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, (a),(2) (iii), Only One Responsible Source, for a follow-on contract for highly specialized services, when award to any other source would result in substantial unacceptable delays. V. DEMONSTRATION THAT THE CONTRACTOR'S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES THE USE OF THE AUTHORITY CITED ABOVE (APPLICABILITY OF AUTHORITY) The DSX Wave-Induced Precipitation of Electron Radiation (WIPER) team consisted of Stanford University (SU), prime contractor and subcontractors Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, University of Massachusetts, Lowell (UML) and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Under the Hanscom contract FA8718-05-C-0027, this team was established to design and construct the WIPER payload, providing very low frequency (VLF) radio wave receiving and transmitting capabilities to the DSX spacecraft. This capability represents the prime DSX mission. The WIPER team was awarded the design/build contract via full and open competition based on their unparalleled combined experience and knowledge base in space hardware and VLF radio science. To date, SU has delivered the VLF Broad Band Receiver and UML has delivered the VLF transmitter and narrow band receiver. The latter consists of three components, a Transmission Control Unit (TCU) that has the integral narrow band receiver and two Transmitter Amplifier/Tuning Units (TATUs). UML was responsible for the majority of the electrical design; SwRI designed the network interface board within the TCU. SwRI built all the units at their manufacturing facilities in San Antonio, TX. While undergoing follow-up environmental testing for the TATU flight models with the TCU engineering model (EM) at AFRL, Kirtland AFB, the AFRL Integration & Test (I&T) team discovered one TATU was not reaching the expected antenna voltages while running a functional test. After opening up the TATU in question (SN001), an unsupported broken wire was discovered. The wire was reattached and all unsupported wires were staked down on both TATU SN001 and SN002. After resuming vibration testing, the I&T team discovered that TATU SN002 capacitance readings during the quick capacitance tests were abnormally high. After opening up the TATU SN002 again, it was discovered that one of the high voltage wires had broken loose from the printed circuit board (PCB). Additionally, the I&T team had traced the anomalous capacitance reading from TATU SN002 to a relay stuck in position. At this point, a question arose as to the possibility of multiple wires/relays being fatigued or broken in both TATUs and a decision to halt all environmental testing was made by the PMO. After discussions with UML and SwRI, the PMO's initial thoughts are to replace all wiring, and, if necessary the capacitor board, and all the capacitors on each TATU. UML has designed a new wire support bridge to secure all unsupported high voltage wiring, but the design in currently in its preliminary stages. UML inspected the TATU EMs and did not see any fatigue damage from the Jun 2008 qual vibe test. To continue the investigation, AFRL posed a number of questions to SwRI that only their manufacturing personnel and a review of their manufacturing records can answer. They are uniquely qualified to perform the necessary forensic evaluation of the TATUs and make a timely assessment of the damage. This assessment will drive the definition of the rework necessary to produce flight worthy hardware for the primary instrument (WIPER) on DSX. SwRI is uniquely qualified to provide answers to how the TATUs were manufactured, to investigate the root cause of the failure, and highly-specialized manufacturing capabilities critical to repair the TATUs. Additionally, SwRI uses proprietary processes to develop and integrate the TATUs. Trying to obtain the appropriate permissions to share the required processes and information with another company could be very complicated, and cause the DSX program to miss the launch schedule on which it is currently manifested. Without the services of SwRI, there is a high probability risk that AFRL/RV DSX program will be unable to accomplish the scientific objectives that have been reviewed and approved by the AFRL/RV commander. An award to any other contractor would significantly impact discovery of the root cause of the failure and the current DSX program schedule. The TATU failure has caused a stop work for all DSX spacecraft integration and test activities until such time as the TATUs are repaired. An award to any other contractor could prevent the discovery of the root cause of the failure and would cause further delays until the new contractor can clearly demonstrate the comprehensive knowledge and capability necessary to provide the required services. The resulting delay is estimated at approximately 6 months, causing AFRL to miss delivery of a critical input to the launch vehicle integration process. Additionally, missing this delivery would likely result in a loss of DSX's launch manifest and place the mission's viability at risk. Therefore, this acquisition is for the repair of the TATUs as it relates to the other WIPER components, and thus, only SwRI can provide the highly-specialized manufacturing services that are needed to meet the mission-critical schedule for the DSX program.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLPLSVD/FA9453-11-R-0270/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: AFRL/RVEP; Attn: Mr. Mark R. Scherbarth or Major Jason W. Hopkins; 3550 Aberdeen Ave., S.E.; Bldg 596; Technical POC Phone #: 505-270-7901 (Mr. Scherbarth) and 505-853-2202, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, 87117, United States

Zip Code: 87117
 

Record

SN02381253-W 20110218/110216234231-01908e34c74bb4559cc7030df3c1e457 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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