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FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF SEPTEMBER 01, 2016 FBO #5396
SOLICITATION NOTICE

A -- Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) Program

Notice Date

8/30/2016
 

Notice Type

Presolicitation
 

NAICS

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

Contracting Office

NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Office of Procurement, Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama, 35812, United States
 

ZIP Code

35812
 

Solicitation Number

NNM16602139R
 

Archive Date

9/29/2016
 

Point of Contact

Sharrief Alamin, Phone: (256) 961-7622, Tyler C. Cochran, Phone: (256) 961-7454
 

E-Mail Address

sharrief.a.alamin@nasa.gov, tyler.c.cochran@nasa.gov
(sharrief.a.alamin@nasa.gov, tyler.c.cochran@nasa.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

NASA/MSFC has a requirement for continued Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) functions, comprised of the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) Program Operations Control Center and Science Center. These functions include the system engineering, ground system development and maintenance, mission operations, science and operations planning, science research, science dissemination, the general and guaranteed time observation programs, and outreach support for the CXO Program. MSFC is the NASA center responsible for management of the CXO Program fulfilling this role for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. The objective of the CXO is to address some of the most fundamental and pressing questions in present-day astrophysics through observations of matter at the extremes of temperature, density, and energy content. The CXO is the third of NASA's four "Great Observatories." This contract extension will provide a continuation of the CXC functions to include maintaining all of the systems, software, products, procedures, and tools necessary for operating and executing the science program of a world-class observatory, maintaining the health and safety of the observatory through a dedicated group of engineers and scientists that have a detailed knowledge of all the observatory systems and subsystems, and the scientific expertise to define and execute the scientific observation program and analyze the resulting data products of the CXO. The CXO was launched on July 23, 1999, for a five-year mission. This mission duration was subsequently approved as a ten-year mission in 2000. This resulted in a sole source contract award to SAO for mission/science operations and data analysis for the period September 1, 2003 to July 31, 2010. This mission was further approved for a 20-year mission in 2009 resulting in a sole-source extension to SAO for mission/science operations and data analysis for the period August 1, 2010 to September 30, 2019. Given the performance of observatory systems over the course of the program and lifetime studies performed, it is expected that the CXO will continue to meet or exceed program requirements through fiscal year 2030 (for a total mission life of just over thirty years). In 2015, the Chandra Program Office was directed by NASA Headquarters to commence work assuming the CXO mission would be authorized for a 30-year duration (which includes three years for post-flight data analysis). NASA/MSFC intends to procure the requirement from the Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), as the mission/science operations and data analysis prime contractor for the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) Program. The contract extension will be divided into three, three-year mission/science operational periods (two of the three operational periods will be installed on an optional basis), and a 3-year data analysis and closeout period that will commence upon completion of the last, enacted operational period. This decision is made pursuant to FAR 6.302-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, which implements the authority for 10 U.S.C. § 2304 (c)(1). Competition is impractical for the following reasons: SAO has a unique and demonstrated pre-eminent capability in x-ray astronomy that is critical to ensure that the science being conducted by the CXO Science Center is successfully completed. Since its original competitive selection as the Science Center contractor in 1991, the subsequent sole-source contract award to SAO for mission/science operations and data analysis in 2003, and the sole-source contract extension awarded in 2009, SAO has continued to develop expertise in the specialized scientific areas necessary to support this requirement. With its elite collection of astrophysicists and experience attained on x-ray missions, SAO's collective x-ray astronomical prowess is unmatched by any group in the world. SAO's technical expertise and knowledge in x-ray optics, x-ray instrumentation and systems integration, its understanding of spacecraft observatory requirements for x-ray astronomy, and its scientific expertise in x-ray astrophysics make SAO the unique source for continuing the CXO mission operations and data analysis effort. SAO has demonstrated its capabilities by applying highly specialized skills in performing the CXC task for the CXO Program, enabling the CXO to achieve unparalleled success in x-ray astronomy since its launch in July 1999. As the CXC prime contractor, SAO has been responsible for developing and implementing the science and ground system architecture as well as the challenging task of executing the scientific mission of the CXO. Additionally, SAO acts as the focal point for users and for public distribution of the CXO scientific data along with facilitating the scientific use of the CXO. Since the expertise of these SAO science staff members has been developed during both the development phase and the operations phase, it is unique, and includes key knowledge of the science instruments in areas such as the operating modes, anomalies (such as radiation damage, electronics issues, software modes, etc.), detector background and response characteristics, and instrument recovery approaches following a variety of safe-mode actions. SAO also has the detailed knowledge required to maintain the ground calibration of instruments that is necessary to ensure the proper interpretation of the on-orbit data. As a result, SAO has significant and irreplaceable knowledge of the program from all possible vantage points - technical, scientific, managerial, and operational. SAO and its team have the unique combination of existing core competencies and skill mix to manage and execute the CXO mission at the level required to ensure success. Overall, SAO is the only known source that has a sufficiently relevant and capable work force that can successfully achieve the challenging goals and objectives required to plan and conduct the CXO mission. Award of this requirement to a source other than SAO will result in unacceptable delays and unnecessary risks in fulfilling NASA requirements. It is emphasized that the CXO is a non-serviceable observatory, and any science data that may be lost resulting from a transition to a successor contractor could not be recovered considering the limited observatory mission life. A transition to any other contractor would most certainly result in lower efficiency and a direct loss of science, but even more crucially it would result in an increased level of mission risk. The CXO is a major and valuable asset to NASA and the scientific community having made or verified many fundamental observations and discoveries that are at the core of space science and cosmology in this era of exploration. The CXO is unique and its contributions cannot be fully replaced by any current space-based or ground observatories. A loss or degradation in its performance cannot be recovered or offset. Since CXO is life-limited and non-serviceable, any loss of science time resulting from inefficiencies or transition problems cannot be recovered. The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. The NAICS Code and Size Standard are 541712 and 1250, respectively. Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 4:30 p.m. local time on September 14, 2016. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. All responsible sources may submit a response, which will be considered by the agency. NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/b5b24b5319279586cbc73238ef481830)
 

Place of Performance

Address: 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States

Zip Code: 02138
 

Record

SN04247312-W 20160901/160830235547-b5b24b5319279586cbc73238ef481830 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

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