NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 214.3, Greenbelt, MD 20771

18 -- MARKET RESEARCH FOR THE RAPID SPACECRAFT ACQUISITION SOL RAPIDII DUE 021999 POC Leif L. Grotos, Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 286-7586, Fax (301) 286-0530, Email Leif.L.Grotos.1@gsfc.nasa.gov -- Sharon M. Collignon, Contracting Officer, Phone (301)286-9874, Fax (301)286-0530, Email Sharon.M.Collignon.1@gsfc.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://nais.nasa.gov/EPS/GSFC/date.html#RAPIDII. E-MAIL: Leif L. Grotos, Leif.L.Grotos.1@gsfc.nasa.gov. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is conducting market research for the recompetition of the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition (RSA). The RSA will award multiple Fixed-Priced/Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contracts for satellite core systems and all necessary design, development, fabrication, integration, test, launch support and on-orbit check-out and operations support to meet the Government's space science, earth sciences and technology needs. The purpose of this RFI is to gather information from spacecraft manufacturers relating to the availability of spacecraft busses and to the commercial terms and conditions for procuring spacecraft busses. This information will be used to develop the terms and conditions for use in the re-competition of the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition. The acquisition may be conducted using FAR Part 12 "Acquisition of Commercial Items" procedures. The results of this RFI are expected to benefit both NASA and industry by allowing NASA to procure satellites in a more commericial manner. GSFC welcomes any information submitted by interested parties in response to this request. Specifically, please respond to the following: 1. What satellite busses do you have commercially available and/or expect to offer under Rapid II? Include information describing the bus such as payload mass, power, volume capabilities, launch and orbit compatibility, flight history, stage of development, and expected price. 2. What sort of warranty or guarantee might you offer? Please include a discussion of on-orbit acceptance, incentives, and assignment of liability and risk. 3. What are your standard commercial seller's terms and conditions? 4. How do you accommodate customer insight to ensure problems are quickly and accurately identified and that work is progressing toward end item delivery? 5. What are your typical customer's Quality/Performance Assurance Requirements? How does the customer ensure the requirements are met? 6. What is the typical manner that launch vehicles are contracted? 7. If you procure the launch vehicle for your customer, how do you gain insight into the launch vehicle build to ensure problems are quickly and accurately identified and that work is progressing to end item delivery? 8. Do your customers have the ability to direct unilateral changes without a contractor stoppage of work or impact to the schedule (e.g., change in instrument interface requirements, launch vehicle interface, quality requirements, etc.)? 9. Please provide a reference list of your commercial customers, including a point-of-contact and phone number. (In an effort to conduct business in a more commercial manner, we will be interviewing satellite owners concerning commercial practices.) 10. Indicate your company's point-of-contact including name, position, telephone and FAX numbers, US Postal and e:mail addresses. 11. Provide any of other information you feel might be helpful in this endeavor. NASA GSFC plans to release a Draft Request for Proposal (RFP) for RSA in June 1999. A final RFP is expected to be released in July 1999 with proposals expected to be due in August 1999 and award of contracts in January 2000. Interested parties may submit information by February 19, 1999 to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Attn: Leif Grotos, Code 214.3, Greenbelt, MD 20771. For further information please contact, by phone or e:mail, Mr. Leif Grotos at 301-286-7586 or Leif.L.Grotos.1@gsfc.nasa.gov or Mr. Ron Miller at 301-286-6331 or Ronald.A.Miller.1@gsfc.nasa.gov. Information submitted separate and apart from commercial brochures will be treated as proprietary, if so marked. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in the CBD and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Posted 01/22/99 (D-SN290617). (0022)

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