NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 214.4, Greenbelt, MD 20771

A -- STEREO PHASE A/B STUDY SOL RFP5-05207-502 DUE 021799 POC James Debelius, Contract Specialist, Phone (301)286-0055, Fax (301)286-0341, Email James.M.Debelius.1@gsfc.nasa.gov -- Thomas Russell, Contracting Officer, Phone (301)286-2885, Fax (301)286-0341, Email Thomas.S.Russell.1@gsfc.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://nais.nasa.gov/EPS/GSFC/date.html#RFP5-05207-502. E-MAIL: James Debelius, James.M.Debelius.1@gsfc.nasa.gov. This is a notice to award a contract on a sole source basis to The Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics laboratory (JHU/APL) for a Phase A/B mission formulation study effort supporting the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission. The STEREO mission is part of NASA's Sun-Earth Connections program aimed at improving mankind's understanding of the origins of solar variability, how that variability transforms the interplanetary medium, how eruptive events on the sun impact geospace, and how they might affect climate and weather. It is one of five Solar Terrestrial Probes called for in NASA's Space Science Enterprise Strategic Plan. The principal science objectives to be addressed in the STEREO mission are to understand the origin and consequences of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME's); to determine the processes that control CME evolution in the heliosphere by tracking CME driven disturbances from the Sun to Earth's orbit; to discover the mechanisms and sites of solar energetic particle acceleration; to determine the 3-D structure and dynamics of coronal and interplanetary plasmas and magnetic fields; and to prove the solar dynamic through its effects on the corona and heliosphere. JHU/APL is currently conducting the STEREO mission definition study. The Phase A/B mission formulation study includes a system overview of the entire mission, spacecraft definition, instrument interface coordination and definition, and detailed plans for development of the spacecraft and ground systems, including cost estimates, implementation plans, and technical documentation. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(3), to maintain an essential engineering, research and development capability to be provided by an educational or other nonprofit institution. Essential engineering, research and development capabilities related to NASA's needs were previously maintained at JHU/APL through contracts with the Department of the Navy. The Navy no longer allows NASA to procure efforts through its contracts, but NASA continues to require maintenance of the NASA-related essential capabilities. These capabilities consist of diverse technical and programmatic staff skills, management skills, extensive experience with NASA programs, extensive corporate memory, JHU/APL's access to JHU's pool of experts, broad industry interactions, substantial supporting facilities, and JHU/APL's ability to draw on research and development resources to solve complex technical and system level problems. The capabilities sought to be maintained include JHU/APL's ability to provide independent evaluation required by NASA while at the same time working closely with industry, including the transition of the technology to industry. Essential capabilities to be maintained through this procurement include expertise in overall spacecraft mission design analysis; spacecraft instrument interfaces including electrical, mechanical, and thermal; instrument operability issues; spacecraft conceptual design; spacecraft and ground systems development; software for operations and data analysis; and mission integration and operations. Interested firms desiring consideration have 15 days from publication in the Commerce Business Daily (CBD) to submit their qualifications/capabilities. Such qualifications/capabilities will be used solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. Responses received after 15 days without the required information will be considered nonresponsive to the synopsis and will not be considered. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract on a full and open competition basis based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered by the agency. An Ombudsman has been appointed, See Internet Note "B". See Note 22. Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nasanote.html. Posted 02/01/99 (D-SN293383). (0032)

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