NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812

A -- SOURCES SOUGHT FOR POTENTIAL PARTNERING IN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT HARDWARE DUE 022398 POC John M. Davis, MSFC Space Science Laboratory Scientist, Phone (205) 544-7600, Fax (205) 544-5862, Email John.Davis.3@msfc.nasa.gov -- Edwin J. Reichmann, MSFC Space Science Laboratory Scientist, Phone (205) 544-7603, Fax (205) 544-5862, Email Edwin.Reichmann@msfc.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://nais.nasa.gov/EPS/MSFC/date.html#ES82-2225-000. E-MAIL: John M. Davis, John.Davis.3@msfc.nasa.gov. SUBJECT: A Sources Sought for Potential Partnering in Instrument Flight Hardware. This is a Request For Information (RFI) issued solely for information and planning purposes -- It does not constitute a Request For Proposal -- This RFI serves to increase opportunities for interested parties and openly solicit potential partners by requesting specific information that will be used to offer teaming relationships with industrial partners for developing MSFC proposals in response to upcoming NASA Announcements of Opportunity (AO) for the Discovery, MIDEX (Medium Class Explorer) and the Earth Science Pathfinder (ESSP) instrument payloads. A deviation has been granted to support these AO s permitting NASA Principal investigators (PI s) to enter into partnerships with hardware fabricators using the same guidelines as non-NASA PI s. Accordingly, if a NASA PI investigation is selected and the hardware fabricator proposed in that investigation meets the guidelines of NASA FAR Supplement 1872.502(a)(3)(i) through (iii) for award without further competition, then NASA may award a prime contract to the hardware partner. The AO s will contain language informing the community that if a Government Principal Investigator is selected, NASA reserves the right to award a prime contract to the proposed hardware partner under the authority of the AO selection. MSFC envisions a teaming arrangement where the industrial partner will be responsible for providing conceptual designs, schedules for development, and cost estimates for selected flight and ground support elements of a space flight system used to perform specific scientific research. Responses to this RFI are solicited both from instrument and detector development contractors having experience as discussed in this RFI. The industrial partner may provide direct inputs into the MSFC proposal associated with the hardware development functions. NASA/MSFC does not intend to reimburse the industrial partner for the costs for preparing these inputs. The purpose of this RFI is to identify qualified sources that may be interested in pursuing this type of arrangement. Potential industrial partners will be identified from the responders to this request. One or more of these potential partners will be provided specific "competition-sensitive" requirements for flight hardware and ground support equipment and asked to produce information on their approach to meeting the particular requirements. MSFC intends to select a single industrial partner for the instrument design for participation in the proposal. An additional partner may be selected for the design of the detector for specific customized optical components. Typical hardware/software requirements include those imposed by accommodation on a "science craft" (spacecraft) -- such as structural, geometric, size, mass, positioning, power and command/control/data interfaces, lifetime, and other resource allocations. Experiment requirements might include sensor performance requirements and general or specific detector designs. The instrument may be intended for data collection observing electromagnetic radiation sources emitting at wavelengths selected at initial design from a broad spectrum covering the x-ray through infrared. Interested parties are to provide information on experience in the development of instruments and/or detectors used in instruments of this type. Include general specifications, science craft on which they were located, launch systems used, and performance history. Include information on instrument/detector cost and development schedule. Limit responses to no more than 5 pages. -- Responses to this RFI should be submitted in writing to Dr. John M. Davis/MSFC/ES82 no later than February 23, 1998 -- If you have provided similar information in the past 12 months it is only necessary to submit a letter expressing your continued interest. For additional information concerning this request, contact Dr. John M. Davis e-mail address (John.Davis.3@msfc.nasa.gov) or Edwin.Reichmann@msfc.nasa.gov. (0037)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0016 19980210\A-0016.SOL)