PART 1835
RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTING
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1835.003 Policy.
1835.010 Scientific and technical
reports.
1835.011 Data.
1835.015 Contracts
for research with educational institutions and nonprofit organizations.
1835.016 Broad agency announcements.
1835.016-70 Foreign participation under broad
agency announcements (BAAs).
1835.016-71 NASA Research Announcements.
1835.016-72 Foreign participation in NRA
proposals.
1835.070 NASA contract clauses and
solicitation provision.
1835.071 NASA Research and
Development (R&D) Contract Reporting.
PART
1835
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTING
1835.003 Policy.
See NPR
5800.1, Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook, for
policy regarding the use of grants and cooperative agreements.
1835.010 Scientific
and technical reports.
(a)(i) Final Reports. Final reports must be furnished by contractors for all R&D contracts. The final report should summarize the results of the entire contract, including recommendations and conclusions based on the experience and results obtained. The final report should include tables, graphs, diagrams, curves, sketches, photographs, and drawings in sufficient detail to explain comprehensively the results achieved under the contract. The final report should comply with formatting and stylistic guidelines contained in NPR 2200.2, Requirements for Documentation, Approval, and Dissemination of NASA Scientific and Technical Information. Electronic formats for submission of reports should be used to the maximum extent practical. When reports are submitted electronically, the contracting officer should also request the submission of a paper copy of the report that could be used to validate items such as math and symbols that can be transposed due to font substitution or other electronic transmission problems. Information regarding appropriate electronic formats for final reports is available from center STI/Publications Managers or the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI) at http://www.sti.nasa.gov under “Publish STI – Electronic File Formats.”
(ii) In addition to the final report submitted to the
contracting officer, the contractor shall concurrently provide CASI and
the center STI/Publications Manager with a copy of the letter transmitting the
final report to the contracting officer.
(iii) It is NASA policy to
provide the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of scientific and
technical information (STI) derived from NASA activities, including that
generated under NASA research and development contracts. One mechanism for
disseminating NASA STI is through CASI. Before approving a final report
delivered under a contract for inclusion in the CASI repository, NASA must
complete a document availability authorization (DAA) review. The DAA review is
intended to ensure that NASA disseminates NASA STI in a manner consistent with
(iv) Additional reports of work. In addition to the final report required by
paragraph (a)(i) of this section, the contracting officer, in consultation with
the program or project manager, should consider the desirability of requiring
periodic reports and reports on the completion of significant units or phases
of work for monitoring contract performance. Any additional reports must be
included in the clause at 1852.235-74 as a contract deliverable. (See FAR 27.403.)
(v) Upon receipt of the final report, or any additional reports required by
1852.235-74 if included in the contract, the contracting officer shall forward
the reports to the contracting officer’s technical representative (COTR)
for review and acceptance. The COTR shall ensure that the DAA review is
initiated upon acceptance of the final report or any additional reports that
NASA elects to publish or release outside of NASA or present at internal
meetings at which foreign nationals may be present. Upon completion of the DAA
review, the COTR shall ensure that the DAA-approved STI and the original
approved DAA form are sent to the center STI/Publication Manager. The
contractor should be advised of the final availability determination. These
responsibilities should be included in the COTR Delegation, NASA Form 1634.
(b) The final report shall include a completed Report
Documentation Page, Standard Form (SF) 298, as the final page of the report.
(a) In addition to any reports
required by 1835.010, the contracting officer shall specify what additional data, (type,
quantity, and quality) is required under the contract, for example,
presentations, journal articles, and seminar notes. (See FAR 27.403.)
1835.015 Contracts for research with educational
institutions and nonprofit organizations.
(a)(1)(iv) The research contract shall
include a requirement that the contractor obtain the contracting officer's approval
when it plans to continue the research work during a continuous period in
excess of 3 months without the participation of an approved principal
investigator or project leader.
1835.016 Broad agency announcements.
(a)(i) The following forms of
broad agency announcements (BAAs) are authorized for use:
(A) Announcements of Opportunity
(see 1872).
(B) NASA Research Announcements (see 1835.016-71).
(C) Other forms of announcements approved by the Assistant Administrator for Procurement (Code HS).
(ii) Other program announcements, notices, and letters not authorized by
paragraph (a)(i) of this section shall not be used to solicit proposals that
may result in contracts.
(iii) Draft or final versions of any form of BAA that directly or
substantially supports a program subject to NASA Procedures and Guidelines
(NPR) 7120.5 shall not be released unless --
(A) All applicable NPR 7120.5 required documentation
(see 1804.7301(b)(2)(i)) is current and
has been approved (e.g., Formulation Authorization Document, Program Commitment
Agreement, Program Plan, or Project Plan); or
(B) Authority to proceed without the required documentation has been
granted by the Chair of the Governing Program Management Council or designee.
(c) BAAs may not preclude the participation of any offeror capable of
satisfying the Government's needs unless a justification for other than full
and open competition is approved under FAR
6.304.
1835.016-70 Foreign participation under broad
agency announcements (BAAs).
(a) Policy.
(1) NASA seeks the broadest
participation in response to broad agency announcements, including foreign
proposals or proposals including foreign participation. NASA's policy is to
conduct research with foreign entities on a cooperative, no-exchange-of-funds
basis (see NPD 1360.2, Initiation and
Development of International Cooperation in Space and Aeronautics Programs).
NASA does not normally fund foreign research proposals or foreign research
efforts that are part of
(2) In accordance with the National Space Transportation Policy, use of a
non-U.S. manufactured launch vehicle is permitted only on a
no-exchange-of-funds basis.
(3) NASA funding may not be used for subcontracted foreign research efforts.
The direct purchase of supplies and/or services, which do not constitute
research, from non-U.S. sources by
(b) Procedure. When a foreign proposal or a
(1) If the proposal conforms to the policy in 1835.016-70(a), the NASA
sponsoring office shall evaluate the proposal and make selection in accordance
with 1835.016-71(d). In conjunction with the
notification of successful foreign proposers, the NASA sponsoring office shall
notify the Headquarters Office of External Relations, Code I. Code I will
negotiate the agreement with the sponsoring foreign agency or funding
institution for the proposed participation.
(2) If the proposal does not conform to the policy in 1835.016-70(a), the NASA
sponsoring office shall:
(i) Determine whether the proposal merits further consideration;
(ii) If further consideration is warranted, refer the proposal to Code I; and
(iii) Complete the evaluation of the proposal. However no notification of
selection, whether tentative or final, shall be made without Code I approval.
(3) Notification to Code I required by paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2)(ii) of this
section, shall address the items contained in 1872.504(c), and shall be
coordinated through the Office of Procurement, Code HS.
1835.016-71 NASA Research Announcements.
(a) Scope. An NRA is used to announce research interests in support of
NASA's programs, and, after peer or scientific review using factors in the NRA,
select proposals for funding. Unlike an RFP containing a statement of work or
specification to which offerors are to respond, an NRA provides for the
submission of competitive project ideas, conceived by the offerors, in one or
more program areas of interest. An NRA shall not be used when the requirement
is sufficiently defined to specify an end product or service.
(b) Issuance.
(1) Before issuance, each field-generated
NRA shall be approved by the installation director or designee, with the
concurrence of the procurement officer, and each Headquarters-generated NRA
shall be approved by the cognizant Program Associate Administrator or designee,
with the concurrence of the Headquarters Offices of General Counsel (Code GK)
and Procurement (Code HS). In addition, the issuing office shall obtain input from the cognizant offices responsible
for matters of safety and mission assurance, occupational health, environmental
protection, information technology, export control, and security. Input shall
also be obtained from the appropriate systems safety organization for NRA's
that may involve potentially hazardous operations such as those related to
flight and/or mission critical ground systems. The NRA approval authority shall designate the selection official.
(2) The selection official shall assure that the NRA is synopsized prior to
issuance in accordance with FAR
5.201. The synopsis shall be brief,
and the technical section describing the area of interest should not exceed 50
words.
(3) If a Headquarters-generated NRA may result in awards by a NASA field
installation, the issuing office shall notify the installation procurement
officer and provide a copy of the NRA.
(4) The selecting official is responsible for the preparation and distribution
of the NRA.
(5) NRAs normally shall remain open for at least 90 days.
(c) Content and Format. All NRAs
shall conform to NPR 5810.1,
“Standard Format for NASA Research Announcements (NRAs) and other
Announcements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements”.
(d) Receipt
of proposals, evaluation, and selection.
(1) Proposals shall be protected as provided in FAR
15.608, FAR
15.609, and 1815.609-70.
(2) Late proposals and modifications shall be treated in accordance with 1815.208.
(3) The selection decision shall be made following peer or scientific review of
a proposal. Peer or scientific review shall involve evaluation by an in-house
specialist, a specialist outside NASA, or both. Evaluation by specialists
outside NASA shall be conducted subject to the conditions in 1815.207. After receipt of a
proposal and before selection, scientific or engineering personnel shall
communicate with an offeror only for the purpose of clarification (as defined
in FAR 15.306), or
to understand the meaning of some aspect of the proposal that is not clear, or
to obtain confirmation or substantiation of a proposed approach, solution, or
cost estimate.
(4) Competitive range determinations shall
not be made, and final proposal revisions shall not be requested.
(5) Part of a proposal may be selected unless the offeror
requests otherwise. In addition, changes to a selected proposal may be sought
if (i) the ideas or other aspects of the proposal on which selection is based
are contained in the proposal as originally submitted, and are not introduced
by the changes; and (ii) the changes sought would not involve a material
alteration to the requirements stated in the NRA. Changes that would affect a
proposal's selection shall not be sought. When changes are desired, the
selecting official may request revisions from the offeror or request the
contracting officer to implement them during negotiations with the successful
offeror(s). The changes shall not transfer information from one offeror's
proposal to another offeror (see FAR
15.306(e). When collaboration between
offerors would improve proposed research programs, collaboration may be
suggested to the offerors.
(6) The basis for selection of a proposal shall be documented in a selection
statement applying the evaluation factors in the NRA. The selection statement
represents the conclusions of the selecting official and must be
self-contained. It shall not incorporate by reference the evaluations of the
reviewers. The selection statement shall contain the
following:
(i) A brief description of the solicitation, including a
statement of program objectives, the evaluation and review processes that were
followed, and a summary of the results of the evaluation and review of
proposals;
(ii) A listing of all
selected proposals including proposal number, proposing principal investigator,
proposing institution, and title (indicate partial selections when known);
(iii)
A brief rationale for the selection based
upon the expert evaluation of proposals by a peer panel in accordance with the
evaluation criteria defined in the NRA, and incorporating programmatic factors;
and
(iv) A brief description of the post-panel decision making process
used to arrive at the selection. In
particular, the selection of proposals identified by the peer review as having
a lower evaluation result than those not selected must be explained.
(7) The selecting official shall notify each offeror whose proposal was not
selected for award and explain generally why the proposal was not selected. If requested,
the selecting official shall arrange a debriefing under FAR 15.5,
with the participation of a contracting officer.
(8) The selecting official shall forward to the contracting officer the
following information:
(i) A copy of the NRA (This requirement may be waived in the case of a grant
award at the discretion of the grant officer);
(ii) The results of the technical evaluation, including the total number of
proposals received, the selection statement, and the listing of proposal(s) selected for funding (These
requirements may be waived in the case of a grant award at the discretion of the
grant officer if the purchase request specifically references the NRA number
and states that the proposal forwarded for funding was selected under the
NRA.);
(iii) A description of any changes desired in any offeror's statement of work,
including the reasons for the changes and any effect on level of funding;
(iv) If a contract will be used to fund the proposal, a description of
deliverables, including technical reports, and delivery dates, consistent with
the requirements of the NRA;
(v) A procurement request;
(vi) Comments on the offeror's cost proposal (either the selecting official's
comments, which may be based on the reviewers' comments, or copies of the
reviewers' comments with any different conclusions of the selecting official);
these comments shall address the need for and reasonableness of travel,
computer time, materials, equipment, subcontracted items, publication costs,
labor hours, labor mix, and other costs; and
(vii) A copy of the selected proposal as originally submitted, any revisions,
and any correspondence from the successful offeror.
(9) The selecting official may provide to the contracting officer copies of the
reviewers' evaluations. Reviewers' names and institutions may be omitted.
(10) The selecting official shall provide each offeror whose proposal was
selected for negotiation a notification stating:
(i) The proposal has been selected for negotiation;
(ii) The offeror's business office will be contacted by a contracting officer,
who is the only official authorized to obligate the Government; and
(iii) Any costs incurred by the offeror in anticipation of an award are at the
offeror's risk.
(e) Award. The contracting officer shall choose the appropriate award
instrument. If a contract is selected, the contracting officer shall --
(1) Advise the offeror that the Government contemplates entering into
negotiations; the type of contract contemplated; and the estimated award date,
anticipated effort, and delivery schedule;
(2) Send the offeror a model contract, if necessary, including modifications
contemplated in the offeror's statement of work, and request agreement or
identification of any exceptions (the contract statement of work may summarize
the proposed research, state that the research shall be conducted in accordance
with certain technical sections of the proposal (which shall be identified by
incorporating them into the contract by reference), and identify any changes to
the proposed research);
(3) Request the offeror to complete and return certifications and representations
and Standard Form 33, Solicitation, Offer, and Award, or other appropriate
forms. If FAR
52.219-9,
Small Business Subcontracting Plan, is required for the resultant contract,
request the offeror to provide a subcontracting plan;
(4) Conduct negotiations in accordance with FAR
Subparts 15.3
and 15.4, as applicable;
(5) Award a contract; and
(6) Comply with FAR
Subparts 4.6 and 5.3 on contract reporting and
synopses of contract awards.
(f) Cancellation of an NRA. When program changes, program funding, or
any other reasons require cancellation of an NRA, the office issuing the NRA
shall notify potential offerors by using the mailing list for the NRA.
1835.016-72 Foreign participation in NRA
proposals.
Foreign proposals or
1835.070 NASA contract clauses and
solicitation provision.
(a) The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 1852.235-70, Center for AeroSpace
Information, in all research and development contracts, and interagency
agreements and cost-reimbursement supply contracts involving research and
development work.
(b) The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 1852.235-71, Key Personnel and Facilities, in contracts
when source selection has been substantially predicated upon the possession by
a given offeror of special capabilities, as represented by key personnel or
facilities.
(c) The contracting officer shall ensure that the provision at 1852.235-72, Instructions for Responding to NASA Research
Announcements, is inserted in all NRAs. The instructions may be supplemented,
but only to the minimum extent necessary.
(d) The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 1852.235-73, Final Scientific and Technical Reports, in
all research and development contracts, and in interagency agreements and
cost-reimbursement supply contracts involving research and development work.
(1) The contracting officer, after consultation with and
concurrence of the program or project manager and the center Export Control
Administrator, shall insert the clause with its Alternate I when the contract
includes “fundamental research” as defined at 22 CFR 120.11(8) and
no prior review of data, including the final report, produced during the
performance of the contract is required for export control or national security
purposes before the contractor may publish, release, or otherwise disseminate
the data.
(2) The contracting officer, after consultation with and
concurrence by the program or project manager and where necessary the center
Export Control Administrator, shall insert the clause with its Alternate II,
when prior review of all data produced during the performance of the contract
is required before the contractor may publish, release, or otherwise disseminate
the data. For example, when data produced during performance of the contract
may be subject to export control, national security restrictions, or
other restrictions designated by NASA; or, to the extent the contractor
receives or is given access to data that includes restrictive markings, may
include proprietary information of others.
(e) The contracting officer shall insert a clause
substantially the same as the clause at 1852.235-74, Additional Reports of Work -- Research and
Development, in all research and development contracts, and in interagency
agreements and cost-reimbursement supply contracts involving research and
development work, when periodic reports, such as monthly or quarterly reports,
or reports on the completion of significant units or phases of work are
required for monitoring contract performance. The clause should be modified to
reflect the reporting requirements of the contract and to indicate the timeframe
for submission of the final report.
1835.071
NASA Research and Development (R&D) Contract Reporting.
The E-Government Act of 2002 (Public Law No. 107-347) mandated the development and maintenance of a repository that integrates information on R&D funded by the federal government. In support of that requirement, contracting officers shall insert in the description field on the text tab in the Contract Management Module (CMM) a 300-500 word summary of the statement of work for each contract award and new work award that is funded predominantly with R&D funds.