NASA LaRC has a requirement for the development, test and evaluation of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy Systems (CERES) Flight Model 6 (FM6) Instrument for flight on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) C1 Mission.
Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6.302-1, "Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services will Satisfy Agency Requirements", NASA LaRC intends to purchase the FM6 Instrument from Northrop Grumman Space Technology (NGST) Company as a follow-on acquisition to the CERES Proto-Flight Model (PFM), FM1, FM2, FM3, FM4, and FM5 instruments. The CERES FM6 Instrument is available only from the original source of the highly specialized CERES instrument. Any delays in obtaining the FM6 Instrument due to learning curves and lack of facilities by other sources will cause schedule delays resulting in budgetary impacts and potential for jeopardizing mission success. NGST is the only source with the specialized calibration facilities and expertise to satisfy the NPOESS C1 cost and schedule constraints. Inability to meet the NPOESS C1 launch schedule will risk the continuity of accurate weather, climate, hydrological, and space weather forecasts to the civilian and US military communities. Award of this contract effort to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that could not be recovered through competition.
The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See Note 26.
Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 4:30 p.m. local time on August 13, 2008. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government.
Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.
An Ombudsman has been appointed. See NASA Specific Note "B".
Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
