Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF MAY 02, 2018 FBO #6004
SOURCES SOUGHT

A -- Partnering Opportunity for Early Career Initiative for The e-OpTICS Project: Electro-Optical Technology Development In Liquid Crystal Beam Steering

Notice Date

4/30/2018
 

Notice Type

Sources Sought
 

NAICS

5417 — Scientific Research and Development ServicesT
 

Contracting Office

NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, Virginia, 23681-0001
 

ZIP Code

23681-0001
 

Solicitation Number

SS_LARC_2018_ECI_04
 

Point of Contact

Octavia L Hicks, Phone: 7578648510
 

E-Mail Address

octavia.l.hicks@nasa.gov
(octavia.l.hicks@nasa.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

This partnering synopsis solicits potential partners to participate in a proposal development activity that addresses the technical objectives and development of a hardware-based technology demonstration in response to an Early Career Initiative (ECI) sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate and released on April 4, 2018. The deadline for proposals is May 14, 2018. The Early Career Initiative is an internal NASA call for space technology development and demonstration proposals that fosters the next step in the professional development of early career NASA technologists by providing cutting edge hands on space technology hardware development opportunities. This initiative promotes creative joint partnering within highly collaborative work environments between the best and brightest NASA early career innovators and while teaming with world-class industry, academia and other government organizations. Proposing teams will include a core team consisting of a no more than eight members total, including NASA and external partner members at least half of which must consist of NASA early career employees. A NASA early career employee must lead the project (Project Lead) and shall engage an experienced NASA mentor, and a STMD mentor who will be identified after selection of the project. Other roles (e.g., Project Manager, Project Scientist) can be filled by team members from NASA or partner. The general approach will be to employ agile systems engineering methods emphasizing working products, collaboration, iterative, hands-on testing, and responsiveness to change rather than formal process and documentation with milestone-based assessments including a continuation review at the development site and a final presentation to NASA Headquarters. If a project wishes to involve a foreign organization, prior confirmation is needed. Teams must propose innovative space hardware-focused projects lasting no more than 2 years and costing up to $1.25M in procurement and labor per year. NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is seeking partners to participate in developing proposals for and collaborating on potential ECI projects. LaRC is pursuing several topic areas that align with NASA's space technology priorities and involve a variety of technical areas that could benefit from partnering. Respondents can describe abilities to meet either or both of the technical challenges: Technical Challenge #1 Development of liquid crystal polarization gratings and fabrication methods that can be used in or for the construction of non-mechanical beam steering systems for application in NASA entry, descent and landing (EDL) hardware. Non-mechanical beam steering devices capable of high speed (sub-15 s) 2-axis laser beam steering over ≥ ±45o field of regard is required. Facility capabilities related to the manufacture and fabrication of liquid crystal polarization grating-based non-mechanical beam steering hardware will be reviewed. The ideal potential partner should have extensive capability in liquid crystal polarization grating technology and ferroelectric liquid crystal switches. Liquid crystal thin film material fabrication possessing capabilities related to the manufacture of opto-electronic hardware for non-mechanical laser (1550 nm wavelength) beam control will be evaluated. The ideal potential partner should document a publication and/or patent record indicating world-class abilities in the development and manufacture of non-mechanical beam steering hardware. The ideal potential partner should describe any interest in or history of commercializing non-mechanical beam steering hardware. Technical Challenge #2 Consulting support in the design, fabrication, and demonstration of scalable liquid crystal polarization gratings for application to laser beam steering systems. The preferred partner will have involvement in next generation NASA light detection and ranging (lidar) subsystem development plans. This partnering opportunity does not guarantee selection for award of any contracts or other agreements, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by NASA to pay for the information solicited. It is expected that the partner(s) selected would provide (at no cost to NASA) technical requirements, conceptual designs, technical data, proposal input, project schedules, and cost estimates. If the proposal is subsequently selected, NASA LaRC anticipates issuing contracts or other agreements to the selected partner(s) for performance of the proposed tasks. Participation in this partnering synopsis is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit institutions, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as NASA Centers and other U.S. Government Agencies. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Other Minority Universities (OMUs), small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, HUBzone small businesses, and women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are encouraged to apply. Participation by non-U.S. organizations is welcome but subject to NASA's policy of no exchange of funds, in which each government supports its own national participants and associated costs. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS: Responses to this partnering synopsis shall be limited to 5 pages in not less than 12-point font for each technical area of interest (i.e. offerors responding to one or more of the mission elements may submit up to 5 pages per each element). Responses shall address each of the evaluation criteria listed below. Resumes of key personnel and a cover page that clearly identifies the topic area addressed by the response do not count against the total allocated page count. All responses shall be submitted to LaRC electronically via e-mail by 4:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time May 14, 2018 to Octavia Hicks (octavia.l.hicks@nasa.gov) and Devin Pugh-Thomas (devin.pugh-thomas@nasa.gov). Technical and programmatic questions should be directed to Devin Pugh-Thomas and procurement questions should be directed to Octavia Hicks.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/NASA/LaRC/OPDC20220/SS_LARC_2018_ECI_04/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: 5 Langley Blvd., Hampton, Virginia, 23681, United States

Zip Code: 23681
 

Record

SN04904724-W 20180502/180430230650-ea94d4c388350b7e8988bcb8fbb62943 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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