Vertical Lift Technology Development

NASA Ames Research Center awarded a Master IDIQ for Vertical Lift Technology Development in December 2018, but the ordering period closed on December 12, 2023, and no new task orders may be placed against the vehicle. This vehicle is inactive and no longer available for pursuit.

The Master IDIQ was a total small business set-aside established as a re-compete of the prior Rotary Wing Engineering, Modeling and Simulation contract. The contract covers aeronautical engineering, research and development, systems analysis, and modeling and simulation across four technical areas: vertical lift aeromechanics modeling and analysis; simulation facility hardware and software development for experimental research, human-in-the-loop simulation, test and evaluation, and training; aircraft performance, handling qualities, cockpit displays, and flight control systems analysis and evaluation; and operations effectiveness analysis, modeling and simulation, and program analysis and management.

Eleven task orders totaling $1.4 million in potential value were awarded between December 2018 and March 2022, with ordering activity declining sharply after 2020 (four orders in 2018, three in 2019, two in 2020, one each in 2021 and 2022). All 11 orders funded NASA Ames Research Center programs. Monterey Technologies Inc. dominated the vehicle with six awards worth $1 million combined, while CFD Research Corporation received three orders totaling $323 thousand. American Systems Corporation and Science & Technology Corporation each held one order at $5 thousand. Task orders were predominantly unrestricted (nine orders, 82%), with small business set-aside designation on only two orders (18%). Obligated dollars tracked potential value closely at $1.4 million (99% of combined ceiling), indicating minimal unspent or unobligated capacity across the vehicle's lifecycle. Individual task-order values ranged from $5 thousand for IT security management deliverables awarded at vehicle inception to $393 thousand for a rotorcraft flight dynamics modeling tool. The vehicle ceiling was $24 million, but actual task-order values fell well below the headroom available under the umbrella.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center (ARC) has awarded a Master IDIQ for Vertical Lift Technology Development (VLTD). This is a re-compete of the current Rotary Wing Engineering, Modeling and Simulation (REMS), Contract NNA13AA84Z. Contract services include aeronautical engineering, research and development, systems analysis, and modeling and simulation. The work to be performed is organized into the following technical performance areas: nVertical Lift Aeromechanics Modeling and Analysis; Simulation Facility Hardware and Software Development for Experimental Research and Feasibility Assessments including Human-in-the-Loop Simulation Research and Development, Test and Evaluation, and Training; Aircraft Performance, Handling Qualities, Cockpit Displays, and Flight Control Systems Analysis and Evaluation; and, Operations Effectiveness Analysis, Modeling and Simulation, and Program Analysis and Management.