NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 214.2, Greenbelt, MD 20771

A -- ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY MICROWAVE SOUNDER (ATMS), REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/ VIABILITY ASSESSMENT DUE 061499 POC Chris D. Whyte, Contract Specialist, Phone (301)286-3230, Fax (301)286-1699, Email cwhyte@pop200.gsfc.nasa.gov -- John Baniszewski, Contracting Officer, Phone (301)286-9841, Fax (301)286-1699, Email John.D.Baniszewski.1@gsfc.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://nais.nasa.gov/EPS/GSFC/date.html#ATMS. E-MAIL: Chris D. Whyte, cwhyte@pop200.gsfc.nasa.gov. The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) is a tri-agency (NOAA, DOD, NASA) program which converges current civilian and military polar-orbiting weather satellite systems into a single polar-orbiting system. NPOESS is managed by the tri-agency Integrated Program Office (IPO). The NASA role in the NPOESS program is technology development in support of NPOESS. In this connection, NASA has entered into an agreement with the IPO whereby NASA will develop the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) instrument in direct support of the system requirements of NPOESS. The ATMS instrument is a passive microwave sounder instrument that provides observations which, when combined with observations from an infrared sounder, provides global atmospheric temperature, moisture, and pressure profiles. The ATMS instrument will fly on the NPOESS spacecraft. In addition, an earlier flight of ATMS is under consideration as part of a proposed joint NASA-IPO mission called the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) with a five year mission duration. NASA anticipates issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) in July, 1999, for the acquisition of the ATMS. NASA anticipates a phased acquisition approach involving the award of two parallel firm fixed price Formulation Phase contracts with a down-selection for a single CPIF/AF/FPI Implementation Phase contract. Key Milestones for the ATMS acquisition include: October 1999, beginning of the Formulation Phase contract; October 2000, beginning of the Implementation Phase contract; June 2003, Critical Design Review; February 2003, delivery of Engineering Model; June 2004, delivery of Protoflight Model; June 2005, delivery of first Flight Model (as a contract option); January 2007 -- October 2012, delivery of flight models 2-5 (as contract options). Contract management will be transferred from NASA to the IPO after delivery of the Protoflight model. Presolicitation: This is a solicitation for information and planning purposes. NASA has posted the preliminary Statement of Work and Performance Specification on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service Web site at http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/procure.htm. The objective of this release is: to invite potential offerors to submit information that allows the Government to advise the offerors about their potential to be viable competitors; to promote competition; to improve potential offerors' understanding of the Government's requirements; and to improve the Government's knowledge of industry's capabilities. Prospective offerors are invited to submit comments for any possible improvements to the Specifications or Statement of Work or for more effective approaches to the Government's requirements. This preliminary information is being made available for planning purposes only, subject to FAR Clause 52.215-3, entitled "Solicitation for Information or Planning Purposes." It does not constitute a Request for Proposal, Invitation for Bid, or Request for Quotation, and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract. This procurement is subject to review or cancellation at any time. The preliminary documents described in this notice constitute all information concerning the ATMS procurement that will be furnished at this time. Firms interested in obtaining a hardcopy of this synopsis, Statement of Work, and specification must submit a request, in writing, to Chris Whyte, Code 214.2, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771. Offerors who intend to respond with a qualifications statement are requested to contact Chris Whyte within two days of receiving this notice. Interested firms are requested to submit any comments and suggestions on the preliminary documents and their capability statements by June 14, 1999 to the address cited above. We anticipate release of the final solicitation in July 1999. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. B. Government Assessment of viability 1. NASA invites potential offerors to submit information that will allow it to advise them of their potential to be viable competitors. This procedure is described in Part 15.202 of the FAR. NASA desires to have one-on-one meetings with all offerors who are considered to be viable competitors. These meetings will allow for exchange of information and will provide an opportunity for you to provide feedback on the ATMS Performance Specification and Statement of Work. In order to be evaluated for your viability, you must submit the information described below. NASA will utilize this information in order to advise you of your potential to be a viable competitor for the ATMS. 2. Information Requested -- provide a capabilities and qualifications statement that includes: a. A discussion of your past experience in developing instruments similar in nature to the ATMS, including a listing of contracts/subcontracts, and a brief description of the quality of your performance of these contracts. b. A discussion of your understanding of the ATMS requirements, including: key technologies that can be applied to the ATMS to enable it to fit within the resource envelope available; the impact of the NPOESS 7 year in-orbit lifetime requirement in driving design considerations; lessons learned in past microwave instrument development that can be applied to ATMS. c. A brief description of your facilities and other resources necessary for formulating and implementing the ATMS. Include the availability of your facilities and other resources. This statement should be no more than 15 pages (8.5" x 11") in length. 3. NASA will evaluate the submitted capability and qualification statements by considering the following criteria: a. Depth and relevance of experience and past performance history, which convey a demonstrated ability to successfully perform the formulation and implementation phases of the ATMS. b. A demonstrated understanding of the ATMS requirements, impact of design life on instrument design, and risks associated with the development and fabrication of the ATMS. c. The adequacy and availability of necessary facilities and resources for implementing and performing the ATMS contract. NASA's evaluation of capability and qualification statements, NASA will advise each respondent, in writing, as to our assessment of viability as a competitor under this potential acquisition. To be considered a viable competitor, you must be rated viable for all three criteria. NASA anticipates completing this evaluation within one week of receiving qualification statements. NASA may ask for supplemental information to your qualification statement if there is uncertainty as to your viability. You will be contacted after this evaluation with the results. If you are found to be viable, you will be contacted to set up a one-on-one meeting. If you are found not to be a viable competitor, NASA will advise you as to the basis for that determination. Non-viable respondents may request a one-on-one meeting by sending a written request to the Contract Specialist, Chris Whyte, at the address listed above. Posted 06/03/99 (D-SN338522). (0154)

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