Amendment_001_QA_MACH Industry Day-20250429.pdf
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- Attached to
- Amendment 002 - Flight Test Vehicle Concept Study for Making Advancements in Commercial Hypersonics (MACH)
- Solicitation number
- 80AFRC25R0006
About this file
This document is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) record from the MACH Industry Day for NASA's Flight Test Vehicle Concept Study for Making Advancements in Commercial Hypersonics (MACH) solicitation. The Q&A covers critical details for potential offerors, including key requirements such as NASA's desire for solutions that achieve a high flight test cadence with short turnaround times, and a strict limitation to domestic sources only. Important clarifications include: proposed solutions must follow the outlined task structure, there is no requirement for platforms to be flight tested by proposal time, and proposals from foreign sources will not be accepted due to the project's goal of advancing the U.S. commercial hypersonic market and sustaining national aerospace leadership.
The document addresses procedural and technical questions ranging from contract funding mechanisms (incrementally funded fixed-price contract) to past performance evaluation (CPARS records not mandatory) and subcontractor participation restrictions. Offerors are directed to focus solely on task requirements outlined in the Statement of Objectives, with deliverable timelines to be found on page 10 of that document. Award notifications will be published on SAM.gov, and additional questions were permitted until May 12, with proposals due by 1:00 PM Pacific Time on May 28, 2025, to be submitted via NASA's EFSS Box system.
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MACH INDUSTRY DAY Q&A
1. Q: Do the proposed solutions need to follow the outlined task structure and essentially delineate the approach (roadmap) for completing each task?
A: Yes, the proposed solutions should follow the outlined task structure and clearly delineate the approach (roadmap) for completing each task.
2. Q: Will NASA use the DoD MACH TB 2.0 contract for flight and launch services?
A: NASA is not assuming the use of DOD's MACH TB 2.0 contracts for flight and launch services.
3. Q: If there is a capability for an expendable or recoverable system to test reusable hypersonic technologies and meet much of the test envelopes and time on condition, would that be of interest or is it required that the flight test vehicle be reusable?
A: NASA desires solutions that aim to achieve a high cadence of flights with a short turnaround time for repeated testing of the same payloads across a range of flight test conditions.
4. Q: Will NASA consider modifications to existing expendable vehicles which may be able to test technologies for reusable hypersonic systems.
A: NASA desires solutions that aim to achieve a high cadence of flights with a short turnaround time for repeated testing of the same payloads across a range of flight test conditions.
5. Q: If the contract is FFP, why is a funds expended review necessary?
A: The resultant contract(s) may be incrementally funded using the clause at C.9 NFS 1852.232-77 Limitation of Funds (Fixed-Price Contract) (MAR 1989). Accordingly, the Contractor will be required to provide notification to the Contracting Officer if funding obligated on the contract is inadequate.
6. Q: If no CPARS is available for a company, will that impact the company’s rating for evaluation of past performance?
A: An offeror will not be rated unacceptable solely if CPARS records do not exist. The Government will evaluate the submitted past performance volume and may use any basis listed at FAR 13.106-2(b)(3)(ii).
7. Q: What is the total funding available for this solicitation?
A: Funding information will be disclosed at time of award.
8. Q: Does the foreign company clause in the RFP apply to subcontractors of just to primes?
A: Prime offerors are responsible for ensuring that all applicable solicitation clauses and provisions are properly flowed down to their subcontractors.
9. Q: To be clear, foreign subcontractors CANNOT participate?
and
10. Q: While reviewing the solicitation, we came across the language: “This requirement is limited to domestic sources. Proposals from foreign sources will not be accepted.”. I just wanted to check if that understanding is still accurate—or if “sources” in this context has a specific meaning that would apply to subcontractors as well. If foreign companies are excluded from participation, is that due to potential military dual-use concerns, or is there another reason for the restriction?
Answer to #9 and #10: Proposals from foreign sources will not be accepted. The Hypersonic Technology Project (HTP), part of NASA’s Aeronautics Mission Directorate (ARMD) Advanced Air Vehicle Program (AAVP), aims to advance the U.S. commercial hypersonic market and sustain the nation’s economic leadership in aerospace. Accordingly, this solicitation is intended to establish partnerships exclusively with domestic sources.
11. Q: Is there a requirement that proposed platforms be flight tested by the time of proposal?
A: There is no requirement for proposed platforms to be flight tested by the time of proposal.
12. Q: What is the expected delivery time?
A: The expected delivery times for each task’s deliverables are outlined in the Statement of Objectives (SOO), specifically on page 10 in Table 2: Major Milestones.
13. Q: Is NASA willing to accept a ground test facility capability that meets requirements of the identified test articles in addition to the flight test capability?
A: We are unable to respond to hypothetical questions. Each offeror should submit a proposal that presents their best technical approach to meeting the SOO requirements.
14. Q: What is the expected award date?
A: Award notifications will be published on SAM.gov. Please continue to monitor the site for updates regarding the status of this solicitation.
15. Q: Thank you for hosting the “Flight Test Vehicle Concept Study for Making Advancements in Commercial Hypersonics (MACH)” QA session. Our team would like to submit for the RFS and is considering numerous ideas that fall within the three task areas.
So far, we have identified roughly 10 specific study topics that would fall within the scope. I saw that additional questions are allowed until May 12. While we can submit numerous study proposals, we were hoping to down select these areas according to your prioritization needs (to spare you the reading and us from submitting 10 proposals/ROMs).
Given the breadth of concepts, are you discuss the concepts in greater detail? If this sort of QA is not permitted within the period, I understand but thought to ask first.
A: Proposals should focus solely on the task requirements outlined in the SOO. Each offeror should submit a proposal that presents their best technical approach to meeting the SOO requirements
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