NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) contract for Multi-Disciplinary Engineering and Technology Services (METS) was established to provide engineering and related services with an emphasis in the areas of systems engineering, software engineering, information technology, and guidance navigation and control services to enable future science missions.
The current METS contract is a cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) type with a current maximum contract ordering value of $250 million. It was awarded competitively as an 8(a) set-aside. Future projections and trends indicate that the magnitude of potential work for the next 5 years could well exceed this current value by almost double. The intent of this RFI is to share with industry our current plans and considerations, to solicit capability statements from qualified 8(a) companies, and to solicit comments from industry.
GSFC has developed these plans to enhance competition among qualified 8(a) companies, to create contracts of a magnitude more amenable to performance and management by qualified 8(a) companies, and to focus logically related engineering disciplines in separate contracts.
GSFC plans to compete and award 2 separate 8(a) contracts. The first contract would include the majority of the elements of the Mission Engineering & Systems Analysis Division, Code 590, including systems engineering and guidance navigation and control services. It would also include a portion of the Instrument Systems & Technology Division, Code 550; specifically those efforts that are currently incorporated in the current METS contract. This contract will be known as METS-II as the follow-on contract to METS and remain a multidisciplinary services contract for AETD that is administered out of Code 590.
The second contract would include the work of the Software Engineering Division, Code 580, including flight and ground software developments, science processing, and mission ground, flight and science system development/engineering. This contract will be known as the Software Engineering Support (SES) contract.
There are specific functions, such as project management, that would still be required in both planned contracts. To assist industry in reviewing this division of work, we are providing a work statement for each of these contracts with this RFI. Note that the SES work statement includes some flight software development and maintenance and mission operations software engineering development currently obtained on a large business contract. We will supplement the SES work statement with additional details as they are developed. Those supplements will be linked to this site as soon as they are available.
GSFC currently expects to award both contracts as cost-plus-fixed-fee level-of-effort (LOE); however, we are soliciting industry feedback on the appropriateness of our choice of contract type. We are planning to issue 2 separate requests for proposals (RFP’s), one each for the 2 distinct efforts, with separate Source Evaluation Boards. Contractors can, of course, propose on both RFP’s. GSFC anticipates nearly simultaneous release of both draft RFP’s in November 2008, with a release of the METS-II RFP in January 2009 and a release of the SES RFP in February 2009. Industry comments to the draft RFP’s would be due 2 weeks after draft RFP release. We anticipate that both RFP’s will require submission of proposals within 45 days. The anticipated award date for both contracts is November 1, 2009, after completion of 30-day phase-in purchase orders. Note that GSFC will separately acquire Flight Dynamics Support Services (FDSS) via a separate, ongoing, small-business set-aside competition. FDSS consolidates work previously included under the Multi-Mission Flight Software Support, the Mission Operations and Mission Services (MOMS), and the METS contracts.
NASA/GSFC requests industry feedback related to the procurement strategy
elements that are included in this RFI.
Interested 8(a) organizations are requested to submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort. Responses (30-page maximum including attachments) must include the following: name and address of firm, size of business; average annual revenue for past 3 years and number of employees; ownership; 8(a) status (e. g., time remaining in 8(a) program); number of years in business; affiliate information, if any: parent company, joint venture partners, potential teaming partners, prime contractor (if potential sub) or subcontractors (if potential prime); list of customers covering the past five years (highlight relevant work performed, contract numbers, contract type, dollar value of each procurement; and point of contact - address and phone number). Specific engineering examples of relevant experience, including detailed descriptions, are recommended. To facilitate a prompt review by the NASA team, a one-page summary shall be included with your capability statement(s), which identifies your company’s specific capabilities that are relevant to the requirement. The summary page will not count against the maximum page limit. It is insufficient to provide only general brochures or generic information. Industry feedback related to the procurement strategy set forth in this RFI will be excluded from the 30-page limit for capability statements.
We intend to release the names, addresses, and points of contact of all respondents unless specifically requested not to do so by the respondent.
Questions should be directed, as follows, to:
Multidisciplinary Engineering & Technology Services (METS II)
Technical: Mr. Tom McCarthy, 301-286-8496
Procurement: Ms. Lois McDuffee, 301-286-9083
Software Engineering Support (SES)
Technical: Mr. John Donohue, 301-286-8623
Procurement: Ms. Maria McNamee, 301-286-4163
This sources sought synopsis is for informational and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government; nor will the Government pay for any information solicited. Since this is a sources sought announcement, no evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. You are requested to provide electronic responses via e-mail to the Point of Contact (POC) listed at the end of this synopsis indicating which contract(s) you organization is interested in performing. Your response is required by 1:00 p.m. local time on September 26, 2008.
No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offeror’s responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.
The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See Note 26.
The NAICS Code and Size Standard for both procurements are 541712 and 1,000 employees.
This notice hereby cancels RFI #NNG08250692L, the previous synopses on METS-II. Companies should submit new capabilities statements for these two new competitions as detailed in the above paragraphs.
