NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771

B -- BOOK-LENGTH HISTORICAL WORK ON NASA MANAGEMENT APPROACH SOL W10-90831 DUE 062298 POC Diane Harris, Contract Specialist, Phone (301)286-4402, Fax (301)286-0356, Email diane.harris.1@gsfc.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://nais.nasa.gov/EPS/HQ/date.html#W10-90831. E-MAIL: Diane Harris, diane.harris.1@gsfc.nasa.gov. This notice is a combined Synopsis/Request for Offer (RFO) to prepare and complete comprehensive, academically-sound, well-documented, book-length manuscript (approximately 300 typescript pages) documenting NASA's "Faster, Better, Cheaper" Management Approach. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation, offers are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This procurement is being conducted under the Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP). The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See note 26. This procurement is required at the present time in order to preserve for posterity and to explain in a scholarly manner the efforts undertaken at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) since 1992 to position the Agency so that it may more effectively serve the needs of the American people in conducting pathbreaking research and development and in exploring space in the twenty-first century. The contractor will be required to complete this book manuscript on a schedule of one-year. The chapters of this book shall be unified by several central themes that should be combined to create a meaningful whole. First, we are quite interested in documenting and analyzing the process of organizational innovation through the transition from a longstanding approach to project management to one emphasizing small projects, carried out on a strict schedule, at relatively inexpensive cost. The work will comment on the prospect of how the transition has been accomplished, discuss the nature and development of the trend, and analyze the role of key policy-makers in the effort. In every instance the author must take care to consider and explain for a non-technical audience the research process, the complex interweavings of the process of decision-making in the modern U.S. NASA will contract with a single qualified aerospace historian to prepare this book. That individual will be expected to produce a well-documented, monograph-length (approximately 300typescript pages) published addition to the historical literature. Archival material located during the course of this work should be cited and thus made known to future researchers. Copies of research notes and documents should be placed by contractor in the NASA Historical Reference Collection for the use of future researchers. The contractor responsible for conducting this project will be expected to perform primary archival research; interview key participants; identify, categorize, and investigate all known information relating to the development of this subject; and write an analytical, intellectually rigorous but readable history of this subject, acceptable for publication as a scholarly work. This final product will be illustrated only as appropriate to explain the issues raised in the written work. This is a one-year contract. Reports of research progress, an outline, drafts of major sections, the volume introduction, a glossary of terms, a graphics plan (proposed illustrations and tables), and any appendices or cross reference guides will all be reviewed at the milestones established by the project manager and other NASA personnel. Finally, the completed draft manuscript will be critiqued by a panel and revisions made to the draft in response to recommendations. The graphics plan, the original and two photocopies of the final manuscript will constitute a critical deliverable. Correction of page proofs and a professionally-done indexes will be the final deliverable. All research notes, photocopied documents, correspondence, interview transcripts, photographs selected for inclusion, manuscript sections and narratives, and rights to publication of the study will become the property of NASA at the end of the project. Publication of the work will be the responsibility of the NASA History Office, which will attempt to publish the book within one year of the complete final manuscript. The individual(s) involved in the writing of the work will be listed as compiler(s) of the published work. NASA retains the final right to publish or not to publish the contract manuscript. The completed manuscript submitted as a deliverable must be on a disks processed with the Microsoft Word program or another software processing translatable into it. Alternative software must be agree to before work begins. Three paper copies of the manuscript on standard 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper copy of the manuscript must be identical. Font for the processed manuscript should be 10-pitch Courier or an equivalent approved before work begins. The manuscript narrative must employ formal, scholarly style as defined by the current edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, supplemented by the NASA style guide. The latter is provided to contractors especially to guide the expression of government and scientific nomenclature. BEST VALUE SELECTION PROCESS -- This procurement shall be conducted utilizing Best Value Selection (BVS), which seeks to select an offer based on the best combination of price and technical merit of the offers submitted. BVS evaluation is based on the premise that, if all offers are of approximately equal technical merit, award will be made to the offeror with the lowest evaluated price. However, the Government will consider awarding to an offeror with higher technical merit if the difference in price is commensurate with added value. Conversely, the Government will consider making award to an offeror whose offer has lower technical merit if the price differential between it and other offers warrant doing so. All offers will be judged considering their price proposals and their technical merit (based on a review by the Government of information received in response to the following "technical factors"). Cost and technical merit will be considered equal in importance and technical factors will not be assigned weights. On those technical factors the offeror chooses to provide, adequate information should be submitted to permit proper evaluation. The following technical factors are applicable to this procurement: A. Personnel Resources. This factor will be evaluated to determine the qualifications of the contractor personnel proposed to complete the work effort, with the premise that more highly qualified individuals will improve the work product to the government. The Offeror should provide a resume and references for the author(s). Maximum two pages per resume and six references. All references shall include telephone numbers. References that cannnot be located will not be evaluated. B. Corporate Experience and Past Performance. This factor will be evaluated for depth and relevance to the work to be performed under this solicitation. The quality of the offeror's past performance will be evaluated to assess the probability for providing high quality services to NASA and successfully managing the contract. The Offeror should provide a list of previous publications of similar nature and where they are available. List of previous publications shall not exceed six most recent publications. C. Intrinsic Merit. This factor will be evaluated for completeness, reasonableness, likelihood for successful performance, and insight. Special consideration will be given to proposals that indicate specific methodologies and consideration of all the steps involved in preparing an academic manuscript. The Offeror should provide a summary of the specific approach they would undertake to perform the work requirements as set forth in this synopsis. This summary shall not exceed five pages. Proposals submitted in response to this synopsis shall include a firm-fixed price proposal and a "technical factors" proposal including the information referenced above (PLEASE NOTE PAGE LIMITATIONS FOR SPECIFIC TECHNICAL FACTORS). The provisions and clauses in the RFO are those in effect through FAC 97-04. All qualified responsible business sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. Deliver offers to NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Mail Code 210.H, Attn: Diane Harris, Building 17, Room S120, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 (PHONE NO. (301) 286-4402/FAX NO. (301) 286-0357). Offers for the items(s) described above may be mailed or faxed to the identified point of contact by 3:00 p.m., on June 22, 1998, and include, solicitation number, FOB destination to this Center, proposed delivery schedule, discount/payment terms, warranty duration (if applicable), taxpayer identification number (TIN), identification of any special commercial terms, and be signed by an authorized company representative. Offerors are encouraged to use the Standard Form 1449, Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items form found at URL: http://procure.arc.nasa.gov/Acq/Standard_Forms/Index.html to submit an offer. The Representations and Certifications required by FAR 52.2l2-3 may be obtained via the internet at URL: http://ec.msfc.nasa.gov/msfc/pub/reps_certs/sats/ The following identified clauses are incorporated by reference. 52.222-3 Convict Labor (E.O. 11755);52.233-3 Protest after Award (31 U.S.C 3553); 52.203-10 Price or Fee Adjustment for Illegal or Improper Activity (41 U.S.C. 423); 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (E.O. 11246); 52.222-35 Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans (38 U.S.C. 4212); 52-222-36 Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers (29 U.S.C. 793); 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era (38 U.S.C. 4212). Questions regarding this acquisition must be submitted in writing no later than June 12, 1998. Any questions shall be submitted via e-mail or facsimile. Oral communications will not be accepted in response to this notice. An ombudsman has been appointed -- See Internet Note "B". Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nnotes.htm. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor this site for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nnotes.htm. (0156)

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