A -- RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Notice Date

December 20, 2000

Contracting Office

Office of Space Launch, SAF/SL, 2420 Vela Way, Suite 1467-A5, El Segundo, CA 90245-4659

ZIP Code

90245-4659

Solicitation Number

OSL BAA!!

Response Due

May 31, 2001

Point of Contact

Mr. Merrill G. Huler (310) 416-7497!!

E-Mail Address

click here by contact the contracting technical representative (curtis.ellis@osl.nro.mil)

Description

This is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) from the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Office of Space Launch, Advanced Programs Division (OSL/APD). It is issued under the provisions of paragraph 6.102(d)(2) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which provides for the competitive selection of research proposals. Contracts awarded as a result of proposals submitted in response to this BAA are considered to be the result of competition to the maximum extent practicable. The NRO may contract with educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private industry for research in those areas covered in this BAA. The intent of the Advanced Programs Division is to investigate and develop concepts and technologies that will enable the NRO to meet future launch needs. Our goal is to develop technologies that provide the best possible launch capabilities for our users when and where needed in the most cost-effective manner. Specific research interests and objectives covered by this BAA are found in Section 1. Proposed research should investigate truly new and unique approaches and techniques that lead to, or enable revolutionary and evolutionary improvements in capability, performance, and cost. Offerors may submit proposals on any topic either contained within this BAA or related to a BAA topic. Prior to submitting a proposal, offerors shall contact the technical points of contact, identified with the description of the corresponding research. Offerors are cautioned that only a Contracting Officer may obligate the Government to any agreement involving expenditure of Government funds. The period of performance for proposals submitted in response to this BAA may be up to a maximum of one (1) year. Proposals should contain a brief summary of the work and a ceiling rough order of magnitude (CROM) price spread by Government Fiscal Year (1 Oct 30 Sep). It is the Government's intent to restrict the value of any contract awarded as a result of this BAA to a maximum price of $400K per contract. Offerors are cautioned that award of any contract(s) pursuant to this BAA is subject to the availability of funds. All written communications, including submission of proposals pursuant to this BAA, shall be forwarded to the OSL Contract Office Point of Contact, Mr. Merrill Huler, Contracting Officer, who can be reached at (310) 416-7497. Please call Mr. Huler only if you have questions of a contractual nature. Technical questions/comments should be directed to the technical points of contact listed in Section 1 herein. SECTION 1 RESEARCH INTERESTS: Specific technology areas of interests for this BAA are listed below: 1.1 Web Based Tools: We are seeking new methodologies, tools, and philosophies that could maximize reuse of documentation, analyses and procedures between contractors, subcontractors, government organizations, and site support organizations, as well as facilitate multiple site, real-time communications. They should allow the customer(s) end-to-end insight of the systems, including manufacturing, integration teams, quality/mission assurance teams, etc. Offerors should identify existing tools and interfaces that might be used in the paperless integration/manufacturing/data analysis arena. Technical Point of Contact: Ms. Pat Light (310) 416-7943. 1.2 Low cost Enabling Technologies and Streamlined Design Considerations for Payloads & Spacecraft: Small spacecraft and payloads are unable to find affordable access to space. All spacecraft and payloads are faced with integration on multiple launch systems with different interfaces to assure access to space. Offerors should identify solutions that would simplify the design and practice of integrating payloads with spacecraft and spacecraft with multiple launch vehicles. Offerors should consider approaches that would increase the manifesting opportunity of small payloads with spacecraft and spacecraft with multiple launch vehicles to achieve affordable access to space. Technical Point of Contact: Mr. James Liller (703) 808-2334. 1.3 Risk Management and Mission Assurance: Risk mitigation is a key element in joint launch activities. For the purpose of this paragraph, joint launch activities include all joint satellite and launch system documentation, analysis, testing, and operations. Identification of risk and earlier development of mitigation plans has the potential for increasing reliability and decreasing total cost. Today's trend is to reduce integration time. Offerors should determine how to identify joint launch activity risks in a timely manner without placing a burden on either the satellite or launch system communities. Offerors should propose methods to identify and manage risk(s) to ensure the goal of increasing reliability and decreasing cost is achieved. Mission Assurance is focused on the viability of a specific launch system to include hardware, software, processes, and operations. Offerors should identify methods to provide adequate information to assess a specific launch system for the purpose of mission assurance without unduly interfering with that launch system. Offerors should propose approaches to provide assurance of ever-increasing reliability of launch systems. Offerors should propose methods to identify and correct problems and/or quality escapements that can result in launch system production, testing and operational delays. Technical Point of Contact: Mr. Russ Cykoski (703) 808-4230. 1.4 Standards and Best Practices. Develop a representative process flow and description for commercial and NRO launch integration. Identify areas to leverage "best practice" standards across the industry. Identify areas of the process flow for which single process initiatives might be applicable. Identify inhibitors to implementation of "best practices" and recommend solutions for overcoming these hindrances. Identify potential uses and existing databases and capabilities for 3D modeling, visulalization, and walkthrough capabilities for cehicles and facilities. Identify Centers of Excellence for various capabilities across the industry (with associated POCs). Recommend methods for streamlining the launch integration acquisition process (such as acquiring integration services via on-line catalog). Offerors shall propose a process or forum for industry to adopt industry-wide standards and provide feedback from proposed participants on process phase-in. Technical Point of contact: Mr. Dave Callen (703) 808-6502. 1.5 Operations: All users need quick and cost effective processing on any given launch base. Offerors should recommend new spacecraft processing operations concepts based on one or more of the following: historical lessons learned, new technology developments, commercial practices, launch base facility utilization, cost saving measures, and/or international practices. Offerors could consider cost saving measures for the reansition period between the heritage launch vehicle systems and the initial operational capability of EELV. Offerors could recommend new spacecraft design criteria that: 1) simplifies spacecraft processing at the launch base, 2) reduces mission risk during launch processing, and/or 3) is used on commercial satellites but not government. Technical Point of Contact: Mr. Bill Kaida (805) 605-8790. 1.6 Advanced Launch Vehicle Technologies. All users need launch services that are highly reliable, less complex, easier to test, and cost effective. Offerors should identify advanced launch vehicle technologies and potential payoffs to improve expendable and/or reusable launch vehicles. Offerors should provide specific applications for the technologies identified. These applications range from the booster design, productioni processes, ground systems, testing, or operations. Offerors should include timelines and process for implementation. Technical Point of Contact: Ms. Debbie Hathaway (703) 808-2633 1.7 Streamlined Launch Acquisitions. Develop a method to streamline the acquisition of launch services for the NRO. Consider the optimal solution for acquiring a launch service from the customer's perspective (where current thinking suggests a block buy concept is more cost effective). Address new and innovative procurement methods and contracting strategies, such as IDIQ type contracts (ordering from a catalog) where entrepreneurs can compete with well-developed companies. Investigate incentives, investment strategies, and cooperative partnerships. Suggest innovative partnerships and services. Address any necessary changes in the FAR or government process that would enable innovative, cost-effective launch solutions. For concepts of operation different than today's Expendable Launch Vehicle, recommend changes in the standard procurement strategy to take advantage of the new capabilities. Technical Point of Contact: Mr. Curtis Ellis (703) 808-2618. The topics listed above are brief synopses of the actual study topics. Please see our web site at http://nro.gov for the complete details of this Broad Agency Announcement. MERRILL G. HULER Contracting Officer

Web Link

Please see our web site for the complete details of (http://nro.gov)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20001222/ASOL016.HTM (W-355 SN509424)