SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- NASA OPPORTUNITY NOTICE TO PARTICIPATE IN ITS CENTENNIAL CHALLENGES PROGRAMAS AN ALLIED ORGANIZATION
- Notice Date
- 3/8/2011
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771
- ZIP Code
- 20771
- Solicitation Number
- NNH11UA003L
- Response Due
- 5/6/2011
- Archive Date
- 3/8/2012
- Point of Contact
- Dr. Larry P Cooper, Program Executive for Centennial Challenges, Phone 202-358-1531, Fax 202-358-3223, Email Larry.P.Cooper@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Dr. Larry P Cooper
(Larry.P.Cooper@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Through this Opportunity Notice (NOTICE) NASA seeks to select an AlliedOrganization for the Nano-Satellite Launcher prize competition (hereinafter Challenge)to be conducted under the Centennial Challenges Program of NASA Headquarters inWashington, D.C.Allied Organizations are responsible for the following elements as they relate toindividual Challenges:Challenge Planning.Sponsor Recruitment.Competitor Recruitment.Challenge Administration and Execution.Challenge Publicity.NASA provides the monetary prize purse (which can be supplemented by outsideorganizations) but no funding for the conduct of the competition itself. AlliedOrganizations must administer the Challenges with their own funding or they must acquirethe funding needed to administer the Challenges through agreements with sponsoringorganizations or through other means. Sponsoring organizations are those entities that team with an Allied Organization toaugment the prize purse, provide funding for administrative expenses and/or providein-kind support through separate agreements with the Allied Organization. SPACE ACT AGREEMENTSNASA anticipates entering into an unfunded Space Act Agreement with a selected AlliedOrganization to manage the Nano-Satellite Launcher Challenge. Selection of an AlliedOrganization will be through a competitive process based on evaluation of submittedproposals. Participation as an Allied Organization will be contingent upon selection byNASA and negotiation of an appropriate agreement between NASA and the proposer. The SpaceAct Agreement will detail the contributions and responsibilities of NASA and the AlliedOrganization for a specific Challenge. The agreement will address intellectual propertyrights, concurrence on rules, team agreements, media rights, insurance, registration feesand eligibility, and typically include a term of 3 years. NASA reserves the right toselect for Space Act Agreement negotiations all, some, or none of the proposals submittedin response to this NOTICE. Respondents will be responsible for funding their ownactivities associated with responding to this NOTICE and conducting the Challenge. TheAllied Organization may collect reasonable registration fees from competitors but the useof registration fees as a primary means to cover Challenge administration costs isdiscouraged. ELIGIBILITYDomestic non-profit organizations are eligible to submit proposals in response to thisNOTICE. Allied Organizations cannot compete in the Challenge that they manage. AlliedOrganizations and their officers and employees may not have a financial or other interestin any teams that compete in any Challenge(s) they manage.Multiple organizations may form a team to manage the Challenge and may submit a jointproposal.CENTENNIAL CHALLENGES BACKGROUNDNASA Centennial Challenges was established to conduct prize competitions to generateinnovative solutions to technical problems of interest to NASA and the nation.Thosecompeting for the NASA monetary prizes can be individuals, independent teams, studentgroups, research organizations or private companies but they cannot receive governmentfunding to support any of their work related to the technical area of the prizeChallenge. The program seeks unconventional solutions from non-traditional sources and, thereby,hopes to identify new talent and stimulate the creation of new businesses. Unlikecontracts and grants based on proposals, prizes are only awarded after competitors havesuccessfully demonstrated their innovations. Competitors retain ownership of theirintellectual property. To be eligible to win a NASA Centennial Challenge monetary prize, an individual orentity(1) shall have registered to participate in the competition pursuant to any rulespromulgated by NASA;(2) shall have complied with all the rules of the competition and requirements ofapplicable law; (3) in the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and maintain a primaryplace of business in the United States, and in the case of an individual, whetherparticipating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen or permanent resident of theUnited States; and(4) shall not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of theiremployment.The Centennial Challenges in the past have typically required several annual competitionsto occur before the total prize purses have been claimed. Competitions have beenconducted in a first-to-demonstrate format and in a head-to-head contest format. Thecompetition events, especially in the head-to-head contest format, typically involvepublic spectators, televised or Webcasted coverage and are high-visibility opportunitiesfor public outreach. Additional information can be found at www.nasa.gov/challengesNEW CENTENNIAL CHALLENGEThe specific Challenge for which an Allied Organization is sought with this NOTICE is theNano-Satellite Launch Challenge to place a small satellite into Earth orbit, twice in oneweek. The prize purse is $2 million.A description of the Challenge outlining NASAs objectives is provided in the appendix tothis NOTICE. Further refinements and creative enhancements of the Challenge objectivesby the Allied Organizations, with concurrence by NASA, are encouraged.SELECTION CRITERIANASA will select an Allied Organization based on the following evaluation criteria:1)Capabilities of the organization to administer the Challenge and competitionevents including ability to:a.encourage the participation of individuals, groups, students, and businesses,especially those outside the traditional aerospace community and those from minority andunder-represented communities so as to attract a diverse field of competitors with widegeographic distribution. b.conduct competition events safely and impartially.c.formulate competition rules, judging criteria, and competition plans inconsultation with NASA and with appropriate public comment.d.provide, as necessary, appropriate competition venues and supporting equipment.e.access technical expertise in the area of the Challenge and select qualified andimpartial judges. f.conduct competitor registration and establish agreements with competitorscovering legal, insurance, and other issues.g.maintain communication with competitors and with NASA.h.organize ancillary activities, including parallel student-class competitions(university, high school, or other levels) to enhance and broaden the impact of theChallenge. i.publicize and promote the goals of the Challenge through creative use of publicmedia including websites. Report competition results to NASA and to the public. j.collect and report to NASA data on competitor progress and performance.2)Experience of the organization in similar or analogous activities thatdemonstrate competence, integrity, commitment to safety, and ability to workcooperatively in partnering arrangements.3)Ability of the organization to support Challenge administration through internalfinancial resources or firm commitments of sponsors. Existing financial resources orsponsor commitments will be a positive factor in evaluation of proposals.PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONSResponses to this NOTICE should be no more than seven pages in length, not including anyletters of commitment from sponsoring or partner organizations. Pages in excess of thepage limitations for each section will not be evaluated. A page is defined as one (1)sheet 8 1/2 x 11 inches using a minimum of 12-point font size for text and 8-point forgraphs. Proposals should not include proprietary information.Submitted informationwill be shared within NASA and with contractor personnel associated with the CentennialChallenges Program. Prospective Allied Organizations are encouraged to periodicallycheck www.nasa.gov/challenges for any updates or clarifying information.The proposal shall consist of:Page 1: Cover page including:-Name of the Centennial Challenge addressed by proposal.-Date of submission.-Name of Lead Organization.-Business mailing address and phone number of organization.-Web site of organization (if applicable).-Name, business mailing address, e-mail address, and phone number of primaryofficer of the organization having authority to enter into a Space Act Agreement withNASA-Name, business mailing address, e-mail address, and phone number oforganizations point-of-contact for the proposal (if different from primary officer).-Name of Team organization(s) (if a joint proposal).-Business mailing address and phone number of Team organization(s).-Web site of Team organization(s) (if applicable).-Name, business mailing address, e-mail address, and phone number of primaryofficer of the Team organizations having authority to enter into an Agreement with theLead OrganizationPage 2: Briefly describe your organization(s), including history, primary activities,interests, capabilities, and financial and personnel resources. Include any experienceof the organization(s) that is similar or analogous to the proposed Challengeadministration, and that demonstrates competence, integrity, commitment to safety andability to work cooperatively in partnering arrangements. List any current or previous(for the past five years) contracts, grants or agreements with your organization(s) andany federal agencies. Identify the person with primary responsibility for management ofthe Challenge and the anticipated level of effort.Page 3: Describe your organizations interest in the specific Challenge that you areproposing to manage and your reasons for wanting to manage it.Describe any objectivesthat you would have for the Challenge, above and beyond those of NASA.Pages 4, 5, & 6: Describe your approach to managing the Challenge including: a.proposed competition format (first to demonstrate, head-to-head, or other) b.encouraging the participation of individuals, groups, students, and businesses,especially those outside the traditional aerospace community and those from minority andunder-represented communities so as to attract a diverse field of competitors with widegeographic distribution. c.ways to maximize the safety of the public, organizers, and competitors prior toand during competitions.d.concepts for developing competition rules judging criteria, and competition planse.a description of the venue, facilities and equipment needed, and your approach tosecuring them.Plans to ensure that proposed format, venue, and associated elements donot provide any competitive advantage to any participant.f.accessing technical expertise in the area of the Challenge and approach forselecting judges. g.conducting competitor registration and establish agreements with competitorscovering legal, insurance, and other issues.h.maintaining communication with competitors and with NASA.i.organizing ancillary activities, including parallel student-class competitions(university, high school, or other levels) to enhance and broaden the impact of theChallenge. j.use of public media including websites, social networking tools, and mediacoverage prior to, during, and after the competition reporting competition results toNASA and to the public. k.providing brief monthly reports on team registration and other pertinent issues;quarterly written reports providing NASA with teams aggregate reported information ontheir investments directly related to their participation in the CHALLENGE; and a FinalReport on the CHALLENGE including an assessment of the effectiveness of the CHALLENGE andrecommendations for improvement.Page 7: Provide a proposed schedule for major milestones in the process of planning andconducting the Challenge. These include the date when the competition rules will befinalized, when competitors can register, and when the competition will take place. Reference milestone dates to signing date of a Space Act Agreement for this Challenge.Provide an estimate of the expected cost of managing the challenge and an estimate of theexpected registration fee that might be charged to competitors. Describe the financialresources that your organization has or will obtain through sponsorships or in-kindcontributions to conduct this Challenge. Provide a schedule that identifies majormilestones toward securing funding or other resources needed for Challenge development ormanagement. Discuss any dependencies between securing these resources and milestones forregistration and the competition. Describe your approach to staffing for Challenge administration and for conductingcompetition events. Include attachments for:-Letters of commitment from any known sponsoring organizations or others providingfinancial or in-kind contributions.-Resumes of key personnelSUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONSAll proposals in response to this NOTICE, including signed letters of commitment, must besubmitted in a single PDF file as an attachment to an electronic mail message tolarry.p.cooper@nasa.gov no later than 11:59 PM, EST, May 6, 2011. Paper submissions willnot be reviewed. GENERAL INFORMATIONNASA will notify all proposers of the results of the evaluation and selection process.After the completion of the evaluation and selection process, as appropriate, NASA willbegin negotiations with selected proposers to finalize the terms and conditions of aSpace Act Agreement. All work, as required, will commence after the parties execute aSpace Act Agreement. Selection of an Allied Organization for this NOTICE is expected tooccur by May 30, 2011.Contact InformationQuestions regarding this NOTICE should be directed to Larry Cooper at 202 358-1531 orlarry.p.cooper@nasa.gov. Answers to questions of general interest will be posted atwww.nasa.gov/challenges.APPENDIX - Description of Challenge Nano-Satellite Launch ChallengeObjectivesSafe, low-cost, small payload delivery system for frequent access to Earth orbit.Innovations in propulsion and other technologies as well as operations andmanagement for broader applications in future launch systems.A commercial capability for dedicated launches of small satellites at a costcomparable to secondary payload launches--a potential new market with Government,commercial, and academic customers.DescriptionDeliver a payload with a mass of at least one kilogram and dimensions of at least10x10x11 centimeters to Earth orbit, complete at least one orbit past the launch site anddeliver payloads successfully at least two times in one week. The specified payload matches the standard 1U CubeSat.One orbit past the launch siteimposes an absolute minimum orbital velocity requirement and an injection maneuver toachieve orbit.Repeatability within a time constraint deters one-time stunts that wouldnot lead to a useful launch capability. This is anticipated to be a first-to-demonstratechallenge.Allied Organizations will have to verify that payloads have been placed in orbit viaground tracking or other means, which might be done through partnerships with NASA, theU.S. Air Force, private entities, or through sponsorships. Range safety costs andprocedures will be a critical issue for competitors, but some existing and new ranges mayoffer incentives to attract competitors. The Federal Aviation Administration will havean important role in permitting and/or licensing of competitors.Prize Purse $2 million is available from the Centennial Challenges Program. If additional prizefunds become available from the Government or other sources, a second-place prize andsupplemental prizes might be offered for the primary objective or additionalaccomplishments. Outreach OpportunitiesExample: Competitors could offer payload space to student payloads. University teams mayattempt the Challenge itself but a student-level competition for a suborbital flight to avery high altitude (i.e. 100 miles) might be considered. Such efforts should becoordinated with the NASA Student Launch Initiative and other existing programs. Additional NASA prize money may be available for student-level competitions.
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