CLPS_Q_and_A_1_thru_45_(002)_(002).pdf

Commercial Lunar Payload Services

Questions and Responses 1 through 45

CLPS Q and A Posting 1

Below NASA is providing responses to 45 questions submitted by Industry regarding the

Commercial Lunar Payload Services Draft Solicitation and Industry Day. This is the first posting and other Questions and Responses will be posted prior to the RFP being released.

There will be an additional Q&A period of two weeks following the release of the RFP.

A revised SOW is anticipated to be posted next week.

1. Was the WebEx session from Industry Day recorded; and is there a link to access it?

Government (Govt) Response: The content of all WebEx slide presentations are posted on the following link: CLPS eLibrary .

2. When do you expect NASA payloads will be available?

Govt Response: NASA anticipates having payloads available for lander missions by mid to late 2019. Additionally, NASA will be ready to engage in manifest discussions and issue task order requests for proposals soon after contract award, in early 2019.

3. Will NASA put multiple payloads on a single mission?

Govt Response: Yes, in many cases NASA may combine multiple payloads on a single mission opportunity.

4. Will there be standardized payload interfaces?

Govt Response: NASA does not plan to define payload interface standards for the

CLPS contracts.

5. Will NASA want to send payloads to the far side of the Moon? Will communication services be provided for those missions or any lunar missions?

Govt Response: NASA may choose to send payloads to any place on the Moon, including the far side. Specifics about communication needs will be defined in each task order. NASA expects vendors to arrange communication links as a part of their end-to-end services.

6. Will the vendor be responsible for insuring NASA payloads?

Govt Response: No, NASA does not anticipate requiring contractors to provide insurance for NASA payloads.

7. What role does NASA expect to play in risk management for missions procured under the CLPS contract?

Govt Response: NASA is contracting for commercial end-to-end delivery services, from launch through landing on the Moon. Managing risk across that mission portfolio will be the responsibility of the vendor selected for each mission task order.

8. Will NASA charter an entire mission? Does NASA want to manage excess payload capacity?

Govt Response: NASA is contracting for delivery of specific payloads to the

Moon. It is up to the vendor to determine if the NASA payload will require full utilization of the vendor’s delivery capability. It will also be up to the vendor to determine what to do with any excess capacity that may be available.

9. Does NASA intend to control/dictate the vendor’s launch schedule (with NASA payloads)?

Govt Response: As a marginal customer, NASA does not expect to have control over schedule. NASA is purchasing commercial transportation services under this contract. As such, NASA does not expect or want to manage launch schedules for the vendor. When delivering a payload to a specific destination by a certain date is critical to achieving NASA’s goal, it will be specified in the task order.

10. Will NASA combine multiple lunar flights into a single task order?

Govt Response: NASA anticipates that most mission task orders will be for one flight to the Moon. However, when warranted by payload or agency considerations, NASA may choose to ask for a series of flights to be performed under a single mission task order.

11. What is the split between mission and non-mission task orders?

Govt Response: The standard services on the contract are for transportation of

NASA’s payloads to the lunar surface. There will be some non-mission services

(refer to Attachment A, SOW) and the percentage is anticipated to be small in relation to standard mission services.

12. What is the task order process?

Govt Response: See Clauses I.24 TASK ORDERING PROCEDURE and I.41

SUPPLEMENTAL TASK ORDERING PROCEDURES in the draft RFP.

13. How often will NASA release task orders? When will the first task orders be released on this contract? Does NASA plan a defined cadence? How far in advance will NASA ask for services?

Govt Response: NASA currently intends to release the first non-mission task order almost immediately after contract award. Over the life of the contract, NASA anticipates a wide range of payload opportunities. At this time, NASA does not have a planned cadence of missions. Some of NASA’s payloads will be defined well in advance of actual mission dates, allowing the vendors the opportunity to manage complex mission plans or integration needs. Some mission task orders may seek to take advantage of industry-planned missions and will have less lead-time. The task order proposal response times and mission launch and delivery schedules will vary based on the specific task requirements.

14. How long will vendors have to respond to a request for task plan?

Govt Response: Please see NFS clause 1852.216-80. Each request for task plan will define how long vendors have to respond, based on the complexity and urgency of the task. Typical mission tasks that do not have unusual urgency may allow at least 30 days for a task plan proposal. Some less complex or more urgent requirements may have a shorter response time.

15. What is the schedule for the first on-ramping opportunities; and are there anticipated changes in the standards for the on ramping?

Govt Response: NASA currently intends to assess the market for a potential on-ramp within 2 years of the original master contract date. If capable vendors exist prior to two years, NASA may issue an on-ramp opportunity earlier. The on-ramp standards will be the same, although the reference mission payload delivery date will be appropriately adjusted for Technical Standard 1.

16. Will all of potential services described in the SOW be evaluated for award of master contracts?

Govt Response: No. Not all services required in the SOW will be evaluated. See

Section V.2 Technical Acceptability Evaluation of the DRFP for clarity.

17. Can vendors bid on only portions of a task order? Can a vendor be selected for the master contract if they can perform key portions of the SOW and not deliver payloads all the way to the surface of the Moon?

Govt Response: No, vendors cannot bid on portions of a task order. NASA is contracting for end-to-end delivery services, from launch through landing on the

Moon. All vendors selected for the master contract will have demonstrated the ability to deliver payloads to the surface of the Moon.

18. Clarify the NAICS small business standard as dollars or number of employees.

Govt Response: The NAICS Code 481212 has a 1500 employee size standard and is not based on dollars. The size standard will be corrected in the Final Request for

Proposal (RFP).

19. What happens if a vendor’s small business status changes during the life of the contract in regards to small business contracting?

Govt Response: A contractor that represented itself as a small business concern before contract award must re-represent its size status for the North American

Industry Classification System (NAICS) code in the contract within 60 to 120 days prior to the end of the fifth year of the contract. Therefore, if there is a change in size status for a small business to a large business during the first 5 years of the contract, the contract dollars are considered obligations to small business until the concern recertifies at the end of the fifth year. For contract periods of performance that go beyond 5 years in which a small business recertifies to a large business, the contract dollars are considered obligations to large business.

20. Clarify task order vs total overall contract values in regards to sub-contracting goals.

Govt Response: The goals in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan shall be stated as a percentage of total (maximum) contract value and as a percentage of total planned subcontracting dollars. The proposed plan shall indicate if phasing is appropriate, and if so, indicate the appropriate phasing goals.

21. Will there be performance-based payments on task orders?

Govt Response: Yes, performance-based payments milestones are anticipated in standard task orders (e.g. mission task order delivering payload to the moon). See

Clause I.26 Performance-Based Payments and Clause I.27 Performance-Based

Payment Events and Completion Criteria of the DRFP.

22. What type of fixed price contract will this be?

Govt Response: See DRFP Section IV.3 TYPE OF CONTRACT (FAR 52.216-1)

(APR 1984)

The Government contemplates award of multiple firm fixed price Indefinite

Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contracts resulting from this solicitation.

23. Clarify clause I.3 Ordering Limitations - regarding the Cover letter’s request for vendors to comment.

Govt Response: NASA’s intent was to request industry feedback on the appropriate fill-in values that were not completed in this clause in the draft RFP. In the final RFP, the Order Limitations clause will identify the minimum and maximum amount (value) that the Contractor is required to perform for a single task or for multiple tasks.

24. Can you provide more clarity about surveillance plans?

Govt Response A Government Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (Enclosure 1 of the DRFP) is required. The plan provides the contractor “information only” on how the Government intends to surveil the services.

25. When will the blackout period start for this procurement?

Govt Response: The blackout period will start the day of the CLPS Final RFP release, which is currently anticipated in mid/late July, 2018.

26. What is the difference between the CLPS effort and the NASA Launch Services

Program Commercial Launch Service procurements? What is NASA’s expectation for oversight?

Govt Response: The NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) procures dedicated commercial launch services for NASA’s payloads through the NASA Launch

Services II (NLS II) and other individual dedicated contracts (e.g. Venture Class

Launch Services (VCLS)) contracts. These contracts provide NASA with launch vehicle certification and oversight in accordance with NPD 8610.7, NPD 8610.23 and 8610.24. NLS II contracts are used to procure launch services for Class A-D, and technology demonstration payloads requiring a Category II or III Certified launch vehicle in accordance with NPD 8610.7. For higher risk tolerant missions

(e.g. Class D, technology demonstrations, etc.) NASA LSP uses individual contracts to procure fully commercial - FAA licensed - launch services with significantly reduced government oversight compared to the NLS II contract requirements. These launch vehicles may or may not be required to achieve

Category I NASA certification depending upon the mission’s risk tolerance.

Additionally, NASA LSP uses individual contracts to procure any NASA mission requiring a launch service that is not on-ramped onto the NLS II contract – regardless of mission risk class (A-D, technology demonstration, etc.).

However, these LSP contracts are not intended for end-to-end lunar landed payload services but are for individual launch services.

The intent of the CLPS procurement is to buy commercially available hosted end-to-end landed payload services from existing or planned commercial payloads headed to the lunar surface. The launch service associated with this service would therefore be fully commercial, FAA-licensed with no intent for additional launch vehicle oversight.

27. What is the relationship between CLPS and the Lunar Orbiting Platform –

Gateway (LOP-G)?

Govt Response: There is no direct relationship between CLPS and LOP-G.

Together with the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion, the Lunar Orbiting

Platform - Gateway is central to advancing and sustaining human space exploration, and is the unifying single stepping off point in the architecture for human cislunar operations, lunar surface access, and missions to Mars. The

Gateway will include opportunities for utilization of the capabilities that it provides, including communications relay capabilities. The CLPS procurement is seeking end-to-end lunar payload services, and if contractors intend to incorporate any existing or future NASA support/capabilities into proposals to fulfill task orders, it will be their responsibility to negotiate agreements for such support, separate from the CLPS contract.

28. Provide clarity on HEOMD mid-size lander procurement timing and plans.

Will the mid-sized landers HEOMD is developing with industry be able to on-ramp onto CLPS in the future?

Govt Response: Human Exploration Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) intends to release a solicitation during the summer of 2018. The initial HEOMD lander demo is planned for 2022 followed by another demo of increased capability in 2024. Yes, in the future, industry partners may choose to propose the mid-size lander (or a version of the mid-size lander) as an on-ramp to CLPS in addition to the HEOMD capability demonstration.

29. Is the HEOMD budget for mid-sized landers separate from the CLPS budget?

Govt Response: Yes, the HEOMD budget line for mid-sized landers is separate from the budget for CLPS.

30. What kind of schedules does NASA expect to see under technical standard #1?

Govt Response: For technical standard #1, NASA is expecting to see detailed schedule content that shows how the vendor plans to deliver payloads to the Moon by December 31, 2021. The schedules should include margins where relevant.

31. What kind of schedules are expected to be provided in the contract deliverable for Quarterly Capability updates?

Govt Response: NASA is looking for a basic manifest outline with notional launch dates and available payload space (if any).

32. What is NASA looking for in the reference mission mentioned in technical standard #1? What kind of capabilities does NASA expect to be included? Is the reference mission become the first mission task order?

Govt Response: The reference mission must demonstrate the ability to deliver at least 10 kg of payload by December 31st, 2021. Beyond that, the reference mission requested under technical standard #1 is for each Offeror to define. Its purpose is to allow an Offeror to demonstrate their ability to define an end-to-end mission to the lunar surface. The reference mission should show the type of capabilities the

Offeror expects to use when delivering a payload to the Moon.

The Offeror is not required to discuss all of their potential lunar capabilities in the reference mission.

The reference mission is not intended to be an actual mission plan. It will NOT be used as the first mission task order by NASA.

33. Clarify the intent of financial standard; what needs to be submitted as evidence?

Govt Response: The intent is for NASA to understand that the contractor has a plan for the resources needed to complete the services as required by the contract.

The Offeror needs to submit a plan or documentation that shows the contractor has the resources to provide end-to-end lunar services, including launch. This could include revenue reports, pro-forma income statements, letters of credit, or the plan for obtaining such.

34. Is there further information on how and when the CLPS program expects to do readiness reviews with the contractors?

Govt Response: The first part of the service readiness assessment will occur almost immediately after contract award, requesting each vendor provide a User’s

Guide to outline the breadth of vendor’s capabilities for delivering services under this contract. Mission Task Order requests for proposal competitions will evaluate the readiness/capability of the offeror to complete the defined task requirements.

35. Can the reference mission be a lunar surface impactor?

Govt Response: No, the reference mission payload must be delivered via a soft landing.

36. Will the CLPS contract be used to deliver humans to the moon?

Govt Response: No, the CLPS acquisition does not include human spaceflight.

37. What does “deployed payloads” mean for this contract?

Govt Response: Deployed payloads are any type of payload that will separate from the lander/transport vehicle at some phase during the mission. Payloads may be deployed in space or on the lunar surface. Specifics will be provided in relevant task orders.

38. Clarify what is meant by “environmental controls”

Govt Response: Environmental controls is being revised in the SOW as follows: The

Contractor shall specify and provide definitions for environmental controls or passive protections available from Contractor’s systems on a specific mission. These can include, but are not limited to pressure, thermal, aerothermal, aerodynamic, plasma charging, radiation, magnetic field, lighting, and cleanliness. Payloads will be exposed to a variety of environment conditions that may affect the payload’s ability to operate.

Some of those environmental conditions are inherent to the physical location (e.g.

radiation), some may be a byproduct of the transport vehicles (e.g. vibrations or thermal load). Each Contractor may offer specific mitigations in their lander design to environmental conditions. NASA will be interested in understanding these mitigations

/controls and the Contractor is expected to document them in the User’s Guide. There may also be specific mitigations or controls enabled via mission design that would be elaborated as part of the mission planning process for a specific task order. NASA payload requirements for environmental control will also be specified in the task orders.

39. Does NASA require on-site representative at contractor facilities?

Govt Response: No.

40. Can the page count for Technical Standard 3 be reduced to 3-pages and that the page-count savings be moved to Technical Standard 1, 4, 5?

Govt Response: The page counts will be adjusted in the final RFP and the 31 pages may be used at the contractor’s discretion.

41. Will NASA revise the public affairs notification clause by adding a NASA response time?

Govt Response: No

42. Does NASA plan to provide additional details about the specific tasks required for each mission (e.g., something like a supplementary SOW) as part of each task order?

Govt Response: Yes, task orders will provide a specific statement of work related to the requirements for that task.

43. Clarify if NASA is responsible for NASA payload specific licensing and permitting and unique ITAR/Export Control provisions.

Govt Response: As per SOW section 1.1 Scope, the Contractor is responsible for obtaining all licenses and approvals. When necessary, NASA will provide any data related to NASA payloads needed to support the Contractor’s efforts to obtain licenses and approvals.

44. Provide clarification if there will be a required insurance regimen protecting the value of the NASA provided payloads

Govt Response: See response to question 6.

45. Will NASA lower the established small business goals?

Govt Response: Other NASA efforts were considered in establishing appropriate goals. The established goals for the procurement will not change. As the solicitation cites, Offerors shall include in their proposal their independent assessment of the small business subcontracting opportunities for this requirement pursuant with their standard company practices. However, the Small Business

Subcontracting Plan instructions in the final RFP will add language that requires

Offerors to provide a rationale for any goal proposed that is less than the

Contracting Officer’s recommended goal in any category.