Tipping_Point__2019_FINAL_DRAFT_2-15-19_Posted.docx

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA)

HEADQUARTERS

SPACE TECHNOLOGY MISSION DIRECTORATE

300 E Street, SW Washington, DC 20546-0001

UTILIZING PUBLIC–PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

TO ADVANCE TIPPING POINT TECHNOLOGIES

APPENDIX

to

NASA Research Announcement (NRA): Space Technology - Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion - 2019 (SpaceTech–REDDI–2019), 80HQTR19NOA01

APPENDIX NUMBER: 80HQTR19NOA01-19STMD_001

Appendix Issued: February 15, 2019

Mandatory Preliminary Proposal Due: April 4, 2019 (5:00pm Eastern) Invited Final Proposal Due: August 8, 2019 (5:00pm Eastern) (target)

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 43.012 OMB Approval Number 2700-0092

Offerors are reminded:

Per Section 4.3.1 of REDDI solicitation 80HQTR19NOA01, all proposals submitted via email or any means other than NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) will not be accepted. Additionally, this section states:

“All proposals submitted in response to this solicitation must be submitted in electronic form by the [Authorized Organizational Representative] AOR at the proposing [Principal Investigator’s] PI’s organization who is authorized] and identified within NSPIRES with an AOR role,] to make such a submission; electronic submission of the proposal by the AOR serves as the required original signature by an authorized official of the proposing organization. No hard copy of the proposal will be accepted. Proposals submitted via email or any means other than NSPIRES…will not be accepted…

The proposal submission process is complex and involves multiple steps to be carried out by all participants in the proposal. Therefore, proposers are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the system and begin the submittal process early, well in advance of the deadline. While every effort is made to ensure the reliability and accessibility of submission systems and to provide a help center via email and telephone, difficulties may arise at any point, including the user’s own equipment. Difficulty in registering or using proposal submission systems…is not a sufficient reason for NASA to consider a proposal submitted after the deadline.”

Per Section 4.4 of REDDI solicitation 80HQTR19NOA01, Proposers are strongly encouraged to submit proposals at least 48 hours in advance of submission deadline.

NOTE: In order to ensure receipt of all NSPIRES email notifications, it is recommended that offerors add “nasaprs.com” to the “never block” domain.

The PI and AOR will both receive an email from the NSPIRES system indicating that a proposal has been successfully submitted. This email is sent shortly after the submission activity. Proposers not receiving such an email should contact the NSPIRES Help Desk. Proposers can also verify that their proposals were submitted by logging into NSPIRES, and verifying that the proposal record appears in the "Submitted Proposals" (versus "Active Proposals") part of their accounts.

Proposers from new organizations that have not applied for NASA grants or contracts are recommended to begin at least 15 business days before the deadline in order to complete organization registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) (which is a prerequisite to registering the organization in NSPIRES) and then complete organization registration and proposer affiliation in NSPIRES. The SAM website is https://www.sam.gov/

Summary of Key Information Appendix Name: “Utilizing Public-Private Partnerships to Advance Tipping Point Technologies,” hereafter called “Appendix” to the SpaceTech-REDDI-2019 NRA, hereafter called “REDDI.”

Goal/Intent: With this Appendix, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) continues to embrace public-private partnerships to achieve its strategic goals for expanding capabilities and opportunities in space. A key aspect of NASA’s strategy is to stimulate the commercial space industry while leveraging those same commercial capabilities through public-private partnerships to deliver technologies and capabilities needed for future NASA, other government agency, and commercial missions. Recent market research activities indicate that the U.S. commercial space sector offers promising “tipping point” technologies with commercialization potential that align with NASA’s goals and objectives. With this Appendix, NASA is seeking commercial space technologies that are at a “tipping point” in their development. For the purpose of this Appendix, a space technology is at a Tipping Point if:

· An investment in a ground demonstration or flight demonstration will result in:

· a significant advancement of the technology’s maturation, and

· a significant improvement in the offerors’ ability to successfully bring the technology to market, and,

· previous investments have been made to mature the technology (e.g., venture capital, corporate investment, etc.) in preparation for commercialization, demonstrating a pre-existing plan to commercialize the technology, and,

· the technology is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of at least 4 at time of submission of the preliminary proposal.

Eligibility: Proposals submitted under this Appendix must be led by a United States (U.S.) for-profit entity. A “U.S. for-profit entity” is a commercial firm or business incorporated and operating in the United States of America. However, this does not preclude U.S. for-profit companies that are incorporated and operating in the U.S. and also have an affiliation with a foreign entity. A lead offeror is defined as the proposing organization to which the contract will be awarded and shall be the organization that submits proposals within NSPIRES. The offerors are encouraged to propose teaming arrangements (e.g., other industry partners, academia, non-profit, other government agencies, FFRDC, NASA civil servants, JPL) that optimize the potential for rapid development and infusion of the space technology. Teaming partners must also be U.S. domestic entities. However, this does not preclude teaming with U.S. for-profit or non-profit domestic entities that are incorporated and operate in the U.S. and also have an affiliation with a foreign entity.

NOTE: A proposal can only be submitted to one Topic. An offeror can be a lead on up to two proposals per Topic. An offeror can act as a team member on multiple proposals.

Key Dates:

Proposal Submission & Evaluation Process: 2-Step Process; Step 1 (MPP - Mandatory Preliminary Proposal) open to eligible offerors; Step 2 (Final Proposal) by invitation only; independent peer review.

Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Entry TRL must be at least 4 at the time of MPP submission. For general guidance, NASA TRL definitions are referenced in REDDI Attachment 2 which can be found at:

https://tinyurl.com/NASA-SpaceTech-REDDI-2019

Award Details:

Award Type: Awards will be firm-fixed-priced contracts with milestone payments. All awards will require an Industry Contribution and must be met during the awarded contract period of performance (see Section 4.2.5B, Industry Contribution).

Offerors are required to align their technical approach and price proposal with milestones that are clearly tied to significant technical achievements.

Anticipated Number, Award Duration, and Amount of Awards: NASA anticipates a total of five to ten awards under this Appendix. However, NASA reserves the right to alter the number of awards based on funding availability and quality of proposals received in response to this Appendix. NASA reserves the right to negotiate the scope and magnitude of the proposed effort, period of performance, cost/price terms, and any other terms, as appropriate with each selected offeror. Awards under this Appendix are subject to the availability of funding. Further award information can be found in Section 2.0 of this Appendix.

Selection Official: Space Technology Mission Directorate Associate Administrator, or designee.

Questions and Comments: Questions and comments related to this Appendix, shall be submitted via email, no later than the dates stated above, to:

HQ-STMD-TippingPointAppendix@nasaprs.com

NOTE: Questions of a general nature will be added to the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) for this Appendix. The FAQs will be located under “Other Documents” on the NSPIRES page associated with this Appendix.

Referenced Documents: See Section 9.0 of REDDI.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

80HQTR19NOA01-19STMD_001 Page i

80HQTR19NOA01-19STMD_001 Page vii

Utilizing Public – Private Partnerships to Advance Tipping Point Technologies

1.0 SOLICITED RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

1.1 Introduction/Overview

On December 11, 2017, President Trump signed Space Policy Directive 1 directing NASA to lead an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities. Beginning with missions beyond low-Earth orbit, the United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Technology Mission Directorate’s (STMD) mission is to address key research and technology challenges that will advance revolutionary capabilities for both NASA exploration mission challenges and national needs, and also address the market challenges associated with providing state-of-the-art commercial space products and services. STMD’s focus is on missions beyond low Earth orbit that would enable the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations. STMD innovates, develops, demonstrates, and infuses revolutionary, high-payoff technologies through transparent, collaborative partnerships, expanding the boundaries of the aerospace enterprise. STMD employs a merit-based competition model with a portfolio approach, spanning a range of discipline areas and technology and market readiness levels.

This Appendix is seeking U.S. industry-led proposals for space technology demonstration projects executed through firm-fixed-price contracts with milestone-based payments. The intent is that contracts resulting from this Appendix will enable public-private partnerships managed by Programs within STMD to accelerate co-development of key capabilities for the effective utilization and exploration of space. More information about the NASA STMD and STMD Programs can be found at:

http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/about_us/index.html

1.2 Appendix Goals and Objectives

With this Appendix, NASA continues to embrace public-private partnerships to achieve its strategic goals for expanding capabilities and opportunities in space. A key aspect of NASA’s strategy is to stimulate the commercial space industry and commercial capabilities through public-private partnerships to deliver technologies and capabilities needed for future NASA, other government agency, and commercial missions. By leveraging U.S. industry capabilities, NASA continues to:

· Engage, inform and actively grow - through a variety of engagement models (technology transfer, incubation, acceleration, etc.) - the U.S. industrial and technology base, as well as a thriving space economy;

· Open and foster new space markets for U.S. commerce;

· Expand public-private partnerships for mutually-beneficial technology development;

· Drive U.S. innovation & expand opportunities to achieve NASA strategic goals.

With this Appendix, NASA is seeking commercial space technologies that are at a “tipping point” in their development cycle. For the purpose of this Appendix, a space technology is at a Tipping Point if:

· An investment in a ground demonstration or flight demonstration will result in:

· a significant advancement of the technology’s maturation, and

· a significant improvement in the offerors’ ability to successfully bring the technology to market, and,

· previous investments have been made to mature the technology (e.g., venture capital, corporate investment, etc.) in preparation for commercialization, demonstrating a pre-existing plan to commercialize the technology, and,

· the technology is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of at least 4 at time of submission of the preliminary proposal.

NASA is interested in advancing these new capabilities to a point that industry would complete and qualify them for the marketplace without further Government investments. These technologies should provide a substantial benefit to both the commercial and Government sectors once the validation/demonstration project is completed. NASA does not envision supporting the final qualification and acceptance of operational systems, but instead views STMD’s role as providing support for key subsystem and system-level development and demonstration, beyond which industry could proceed without additional Government investments.

This Appendix is seeking U.S. industry-led proposals (see Section 3.0 for complete eligibility details) to advance “tipping point” space technologies for Topics listed under Section 1.3, executed through firm-fixed-price contracts with milestone payments. Awards resulting from this Appendix will enable public-private partnerships between U.S. industry and NASA. To further ensure successful infusion of these space technologies, NASA is requiring that offerors provide Industry Contributions (see Section 4.2.5B, Industry Contribution for more details).

Capabilities Needed for Moon to Mars Exploration

1.3.1 Topic 1. Cryogenic Propellant Production and Management

· Long Term Goal 1.1: Demonstrate systems capable of producing hydrogen and oxygen from water and liquifying them for use as propellant, scaling to tens of metric tons per month, operating with little to no human involvement in space or on the lunar surface.

For this Capability, we seek proposals that would develop tipping point technologies for demonstration in relevant environments, either on Earth or in space, including on the International Space Station (ISS) or Gateway or early lunar payloads, and place the Nation on a path toward achieving the stated Long Term Goal 1.1.

NASA expects these technologies to extend and expand human and robotic activities in space such that they become more affordable, less dependent on resupply from Earth, and ultimately independent.

· Long Term Goal 1.2: Demonstrate technologies enabling autonomous storage and transfer of cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen, capable of scaling to tens of metric tons, with negligible losses for at least a year in space and on the lunar surface.

For this Capability, we seek proposals that would develop tipping point technologies for demonstration in relevant environments, either on Earth or in space, including on the ISS or Gateway, and place the Nation on a path toward achieving the stated Long Term Goal 1.2. The capability to manage cryogenic hydrogen is expected to encompass capabilities needed to store and transfer higher-temperature cryogens such as oxygen or methane.

NASA expects these technologies to enable reusable, refuellable, in-space transport and lander vehicles and facilities, using in situ produced or separately delivered propellant for affordable, sustainable space transportation.

1.3.2 Topic 2. Sustainable Energy Generation, Storage, and Distribution

· Long Term Goal 2: Demonstrate technologies to enable continuous power throughout the lunar day and night, capable of scaling to tens of kilowatts or more for long-term surface operations. These technologies may also include features to endure the extreme thermal conditions or thermal management to maintain acceptable operating temperatures throughout the lunar day/night cycle without compromising mission objectives. This Topic also seeks innovative power distribution technologies to transmit power between widely distributed power sources and loads on the lunar surface.

For this Capability, we seek proposals that would develop tipping point technologies for demonstrations in relevant environments, either on Earth or in space, including early lunar payloads, and place the Nation on a path toward achieving the stated Long Term Goal 2.

NASA expects these technologies to enable humans and robots to perform long-term, sustainable operations in challenging mission environments, with capabilities initially focusing on the Moon but extensible to other destinations with similar or greater environmental extremes (hot, cold, dark, etc.).

1.3.3 Topic 3. Efficient and Affordable Propulsion Systems

NASA recognizes that there is commercial interest in the development of affordable high-efficiency propulsion systems for spacecraft in the 60 kg to 200 kg range. Commercial applications of such systems include communications or Earth observation constellations with large numbers of small spacecraft. NASA is interested in enabling rapid and more affordable deep space missions with a similar class of spacecraft. NASA has a particular interest in partnering with U.S. industry on the development and testing of propulsion systems that are at a tipping point and have applicability to both the public and private needs identified above. Fully integrated system-level solutions are sought exhibiting power, size, and mass characteristics suitable for small spacecraft applications in the 60 kg to 200 kg range. Propulsion systems that have modularity or that can support ganging of multiple thrusters for utilization on a broad range of spacecraft sizes, including CubeSats or larger ESPA-class spacecraft, would also be of interest. While the emphasis is on small spacecraft below 200 kg, this does not preclude interest in propulsion systems for larger spacecraft that can be launched as secondary payloads, if there are identified commercial needs for such systems. Highly sought are proposals focused on technology development, ground testing, or early flight testing that would rapidly lead to a flight-qualified propulsion system for NASA and commercial applications.

1.3.4 Topic 4. Other Capabilities Needed for Exploration

NASA is interested in tipping point technologies that would enable capabilities needed for the Moon to Mars Exploration Campaign that are also of interest to commercial space. Of particular interest include autonomous operations, rover mobility, precision landing, and advanced avionics.

For any of these Capabilities, we seek proposals that would develop tipping point technologies for demonstrations in relevant environments on Earth, in space, or on the lunar surface.

NASA expects these technologies to extend and expand human and robotic activities in space such that they become more affordable, less dependent on resupply from Earth, and ultimately independent.

2.0 AWARD INFORMATION

Award Type: Awards will be firm-fixed-priced contracts with milestone payments. All awards will require an Industry Contribution that must be met during the awarded contract period of performance (see Section 4.2.5B, Industry Contribution).

Schedule:

Funding and Period of Performance Information

Technology Topic

*Total STMD Funding

All Topics

1-2 up to 36 months

All Topics up to $2M per award

4-8 up to 24 months

Anticipated Number of Awards - Total

5-10

*The total STMD funding includes any partnering NASA Center/JPL/Procurement costs (if applicable) plus the firm-fixed-price contract value. The firm-fixed-price contract value includes only the STMD portion of the award (i.e., does not include Industry Contributions).

** This is the TRL of the system at the time of MPP submission. The overall TRL of the system is determined by the TRL of the lowest TRL subsystem.

***NASA reserves the right to alter the number of awards based on funding availability and quality of proposals received in response to this Appendix.

NASA reserves the right to negotiate the scope and magnitude of the proposed effort, period of performance, cost/price terms, and any other terms, as appropriate with each selected offeror.

2.2 Availability of Funds for Awards

The Government’s obligation to make award(s) is contingent upon the availability of the appropriated funds from which to make payments, and the receipt of high quality proposals that are determined acceptable for NASA award under REDDI.

2.3 Successor Proposals and Resubmissions

No change from REDDI 80HQTR19NOA01.

2.4 Use and Disclosure of Research Resulting From Awards

No change from REDDI 80HQTR19NOA01.

2.5 Intellectual Property Resulting From Awards

2.5.1 Data Rights

The objective of a contract awarded under this Appendix is to provide recipients with the incentive to develop commercial applications of technologies developed through the partnership. Normally, the Government has unlimited rights in technical data created under a NASA agreement. However, recipients may protect qualifying limited rights data and restricted computer software by withholding the data from the Government and instead delivering form, fit, and function data. Delivery or third-party licensing of proprietary software or data developed solely at private expense will not normally be required except as specifically negotiated in a particular agreement to satisfy NASA's minimum needs.

2.5.2 Patent Rights

The government will have certain statutory rights in an invention that is conceived or first actually reduced to practice under a NASA award. 51 U.S.C. 20135 (awards to large entities) provides that title to such inventions vests in the United States, except where 35 U.S.C. 202 provides otherwise for nonprofit organizations or small business firms.

2.5.3 Waiver of Patent Rights

Where 51 U.S.C. 20135 applies, i.e., under an award with a large entity, a recipient may request a waiver to obtain title to inventions made under the award in accordance with 51 U.S.C. 20135(g) and 14 C.F.R. 1245 Subpart 1. Such a request may be made in advance of the award or within 30 days thereafter. Even if a waiver request is not made, or is denied, a large business recipient may request a waiver on individual inventions made during the course of the award. NASA normally grants requests for advance waiver unless the interests of the United States are better served by restricting or eliminating all or part of the rights of a contractor as set forth in 14 CFR 1245.104(b). Among the most importance goals are providing incentives to foster inventiveness and encouraging the reporting of inventions.

For all recipients, the patent rights provision in a resulting award will require the disclosure to NASA of all subject inventions made under the contract. NASA considers the reporting of inventions an important metric that will be used to measure whether new technologies are being developed. Reporting of inventions also protects a recipient’s ownership to such inventions since NASA has the right to obtain title in unreported inventions.

2.5.4 NASA Intellectual Property (IP)

As noted above, NASA has been involved in the development of many technologies that support STMD. Offerors are encouraged to consider utilizing technology developed by NASA, including NASA-owned patents and/or computer software. Offerors should identify any NASA inventions or software that they would like to use in the course of work under an award. Note that any commercial use of NASA technology will require a Patent License Agreement or Software Usage Agreement from NASA. Available NASA IP, including a software catalog and searchable patent library, can be found via the NASA Technology Transfer Portal (http://technology.nasa.gov).

3.0 ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Proposals submitted under this Appendix must be led by a United States (U.S.) for-profit entity. A “U.S. for-profit entity” is a commercial firm or business incorporated and operating in the United States of America. However, this does not preclude U.S. for-profit companies that are incorporated and operating in the U.S. and also have an affiliation with a foreign entity. A lead offeror is defined as the proposing organization to which the contract will be awarded and shall be the organization that submits proposals within NSPIRES. The offerors are encouraged to propose teaming arrangements (e.g., other industry partners, academia, non-profit, other government agencies, FFRDC, NASA civil servants, JPL) that optimize the potential for rapid development and infusion of the space technology. Teaming partners must also be U.S. domestic entities. However, this does not preclude teaming with U.S. for-profit or non-profit domestic entities that are incorporated and operate in the U.S. and also have an affiliation with a foreign entity. The System for Award Management (sam.gov) will be reviewed to determine an offeror’s country of incorporation.

NOTE: Federal, State, and local government entities, including federal laboratories; and NASA Centers are not eligible to participate as the lead offeror in proposals under this Appendix, but may participate as team members.

Limitation of Number of Proposals per Organization

A proposal can only be submitted to one Topic. An offeror can be a lead on up to two proposals per Topic. An offeror can act as a team member on multiple proposals. A lead offeror is defined as the proposing organization that submitted the proposal and which the contract will be awarded. The term “offeror” applies to a company or separate business unit within the company.

Other Eligibility Limitations

No change from REDDI 80HQTR19NOA01.

Proposals Involving Non-U.S. Organizations

Proposals will only be accepted from U.S. for-profit entities that are incorporated and operate in the United States of America. See Section 3.0 for further eligibility details and Section 4.0 for Industry Contribution restrictions. Per Section 3.3 of REDDI, and NASA FAR Supplement 1835.016-70: Foreign Participation under Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) – “The direct purchase of supplies/services, which do not constitute research, from non-U.S. sources by U.S. award recipients is permitted, subject to the provisions or terms of the award.” (See REDDI section 3.3 for additional information).

Export Control

No change from REDDI 80HQTR19NOA01.

3.5 Restriction on the use of Classified Material

No change from REDDI 80HQTR19NOA01.

3.6 Cost Sharing or Matching

For proposals to this Appendix, an Industry Contribution is required. The allowability of cash and non-cash contributions is governed by FAR Parts 30 and 31 and NFS Parts 1830 and 1831. See Section 4.2.5.B for further guidance regarding Industry Contributions.

4.0 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION

This Appendix will utilize a two-step proposal and evaluation process, where Step 1 is a Mandatory Preliminary Proposal (MPP) submitted via NSPIRES (http://nspires.nasaprs.com). The STMD Topic in which the proposal aligns must be clearly identified by the offeror. Each proposal may only be submitted to one Topic. The MPP will be evaluated as described in Section 5.1. Once the technical evaluation of the MPP criterion is complete, STMD will consider programmatic considerations such as portfolio balancing, Industry Contribution, ROM costs, and other programmatic considerations, in order to determine the most highly rated proposals to be invited to submit a Final Proposal.

In order to submit a Final Proposal an offeror must submit an MPP and be invited to submit a Final Proposal. All feedback, invitation to submit a Final Proposal, and selections will be announced via NSPIRES.

The following information supplements, where applicable, the information provided in Sections 4.1 through 4.6 of REDDI:

· Offerors shall submit MPPs and Final Proposals via NSPIRES. See Section 4.3.1 of REDDI. All proposal information shall be contained in the proposal. Exterior references are not acceptable nor do responses to the Program-Specific Data (PSD) questions in NSPIRES satisfy what is required in the proposal.

· All proposal team members (e.g., PI, Co-Is, collaborators) must be listed on the NSPIRES cover pages. The listing serves as an official acknowledgement of the team member’s intended participation in the proposed effort. Each team member must be individually registered and affiliated with their organization in NSPIRES. Such individuals must perform the registration themselves; no individual may register a second party, not even the PI of the proposal. See Section 4.3.1 of REDDI for more details.

· Step 1 – MPP: Prospective offerors shall develop a Mandatory Preliminary Proposal (MPP) addressing each of the items listed in Section 4.1. The MPP evaluation criteria s is provided in Section 5.1 below.

· MPP Notification/Feedback: NASA will notify each MPP offeror whether they are invited to submit a Final Proposal or not. Only those MPP submitters that are invited may submit a Final Proposal. Each notification letter will provide feedback on the MPP.

· Step 2 – Final Proposal: If invited to submit a Final Proposal, the notification letter will include the date and time Final Proposals are due. An offeror will develop their Final Proposal addressing the items listed in Section 4.2. The Final Proposal must be submitted within the same Topic as the MPP, and involve the same technological approach described in the MPP. An offeror invited to submit a Final Proposal that introduces material changes to the technological approach in its MPP may be significantly downgraded and may be found unacceptable for award due to those changes. The project team can be adjusted from the team listed in the MPP, in an invited Final Proposal, if needed. The evaluation criteria listed in Section 5.2, will be utilized to evaluate the Final Proposals.

· NSPIRES Cover Page, PSD Questions – applicable to MPPs and Final Proposals: This Appendix contains PSD questions (see REDDI section 4.3.4). NSPIRES tutorials are referenced in REDDI Section 4.3.1 for further information.

· Budget/Price: The budget information contained in REDDI does not apply to this Appendix. Attachment 1: Price Template is required for the MPP. Attachment 3: Final Proposal Price Instructions and Form shall be utilized if invited to submit a Final Proposal. (Word versions of Attachments 1 and 3 will be posted on the NSPIRES solicitation webpage alongside this NRA under “Other Documents”)

· Required Certifications: See 4.3.4 of REDDI

· International Space Station (ISS) Research, Development, and Demonstration Opportunities: The ISS provides offerors with a national laboratory resource with unique environments for the development of space technologies. For proposals to this Appendix, ISS utilization is not required. If the offeror intends to use ISS, the following guidance is provided.

The ISS Program provides transportation to and from the ISS and standard experiment integration activities free of charge to approved, sponsored technology development investigations. Research, development, and demonstration opportunities include accommodation inside the pressurized habitable volume of the station, on external platforms outside the station, and accommodation within resupply/cargo vehicle pressurized and unpressurized volumes. Deployable options are also available.

NOTE: ISS contribution WILL NOT count towards the required Industry Contribution.

More information on accommodations for ISS research, development, and demonstration can be found in the ISS Utilization Reference Guide, as well as in the series of Researcher’s Guide publications.

https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/international-space-station-facilities-research-in-space-2017-and-beyond http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/researcher_guide

For submissions proposing to utilize the ISS or its commercial launch assets, please contact the ISS Research Integration Office to obtain a letter of feasibility well in advance of your proposal submission. The letter does not need to be part of the MPP, but must be included as part of the Final Proposal. For STMD and other NASA-funded efforts including both scientific and general engineering research, development, or demonstration proposals, the ISS point of contact is:

Dr. George C. Nelson: Manager, ISS Technology and Science Research Office, 281.244.8514, george.nelson-1@nasa.gov

4.1 Mandatory Preliminary Proposal:

Step 1: The Mandatory Preliminary Proposal (MPP) shall include the following, in the order listed. If this format is not followed, the proposal may be deemed non-compliant. A cover page (without proposal information) can be provided and does not count against the page count. Also note that MPP reviewers will not consider/evaluate any content in excess of the page limits specified in the table below. Any excess material will be removed from the proposal prior to forwarding for evaluation.

4.1.1 MPP – Table of Contents:

The MPP may include a one-page Table of Contents that provides a guide to the organization and contents of the proposal. This item may use customized formats of the offeror’s own choosing, e.g., identification of the submitting organization through use of letterhead stationery, project logos, etc.

4.1.2 MPP – Mandatory Quad Chart:

Provide a single 8 ½” x 11” page summary chart which will be used to represent your proposal during the review process. The chart shall occupy the entire page and be in landscape format. Please closely follow the template in Attachment 4 and include the following components:

· Upper Left Quadrant: Company Overview - Title, company name and address, total number of company employees, brief company description, and teaming partners

· Lower Left Quadrant: Technology Overview - Brief technology description, key required development, starting TRL, and short description of TRL basis

· Upper Right Quadrant: Project Overview - Project approach description shall include: schedule, and major milestones

· Lower Right Quadrant: Commercialization Overview - Brief summary of commercialization strategy to include an estimate of the market value of the matured product/technology, intended commercial application, and NASA application

· Centered Across Four Quadrants: Technology image (size may be varied to best illustrate/explain)

The chart is intended to provide a quick sense of the proposed effort, should stand alone, and shall not include any proprietary or sensitive data.

4.1.3 MPP – Introduction:

Provide an introduction and a brief summary of the proposed project.

4.1.4 MPP – Relevance Section:

A. Relevance:

a. Alignment:

i. NASA Utilization: Demonstrate that the resulting product has potential to enable/enhance NASA missions.

ii. Tipping Point Justification: Provide clear evidence that the technology is at a tipping point (per the definition provided in Section 1.2), including clear and thorough justification of the entry TRL at the time of MPP submission. The overall TRL of the system is determined by the TRL of the lowest TRL subsystem.

iii. Topic Alignment: Describe how the proposed technology is aligned with the selected Topic. NOTE: This must be the same Topic selected on the Cover Page, PSD question within NSPIRES.

b. Commercialization Impact:

i. Business Case: Provide a business case that is clearly articulated, including the anticipated product cost and comparison to current costs, as well as identification of target markets.

ii. Impact to Commercial Sector: Demonstrate that the product could make a significant impact on the commercial space sector, such as expanding existing or opening new markets, lowering price, increasing choice, or providing entirely new capabilities.

4.1.5 MPP – Price ROM and Industry Contribution:

A. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) for the Proposed Technology Project:

a. Using the template in Attachment 1 (Word version will be posted on the NSPIRES solicitation webpage alongside this NRA under “Other Documents”), provide high-level development milestones with associated costs.

b. Provide the Total ROM for the proposed project.

B. Industry Contribution:

a. Using the template in Attachment 1, provide the percentage of Industry Contribution anticipated for the proposed effort. Offerors are reminded that a minimum Industry Contribution is required (see Section 4.2.5B).

b. Provide a clear description of the approach for meeting the proposed Industry Contribution (source of contribution, amount of contribution, and where the contribution is proposed to be utilized).

4.2 Final Proposal:

Step 2: Final Proposal: If invited to Step 2, the Final Proposal shall include the following, in the order listed. If a Final Proposal does not contain the items listed below, the proposal may be deemed non-compliant. If the technology proposed in Step 2/Final Proposal is not the same as the one proposed in the MPP, the proposal may be deemed non-compliant.

*Post-selection negotiations may require the SOW to be expanded to accommodate agency’s need for a complete SOW.

NOTE: The Proposal shall be self-contained and not reference other documents to satisfy proposal requirements, nor shall PSD responses satisfy what is required in the Technical and Management Section. The proposal shall be one pdf document as an attachment in NSPIRES as “Proposal Document.” Reviewers will not consider/evaluate any content in excess of the page limits specified in the table above and any excess pages may be removed from the proposal prior to forwarding for evaluation. A cover page/title page prior to the Table of Contents will not count against the page count as long as it does not include any pictures related to the proposal or any proposal response information.

4.2.1 Table of Contents: Offerors shall include a one-page Table of Contents that provides a guide to the organization and contents of the proposal. This item may use customized formats of the offeror’s own choosing, e.g., identification of the submitting organization through use of letterhead stationery, project logos, etc.

4.2.2 Final Proposal Quad Chart: Provide a single 8 ½”” x 11” page summary chart that will be used to represent your proposal during the review process. The chart shall occupy the entire page and be in landscape format. Please closely follow the template provided in Attachment 4 and include the following components:

· Upper Left Quadrant: Company Overview – Title, company name and address, total number of company employees, brief company description, and teaming partners.

· Lower Left Quadrant: Technology Overview – Brief technology description, key required development, starting TRL, ending TRL, and short description of TRL basis.

· Upper Right Quadrant: Project Overview – Major technical milestones and schedule; project period of performance

· Lower Right Quadrant: Price – Project life cycle cost; industry contribution

· Centered Across Four Quadrants: Technology image (size may be varied to best illustrate/explain).

The quad chart is intended to provide a quick sense of the proposed effort and should stand alone. The quad chart should not include any proprietary or sensitive data as NASA may make it available to the public after selections are announced and may post it on the STMD website.

4.2.3 Introduction: Provide a summary/introduction of the proposed project.

4.2.4 Technical and Management Section:

(NOTE: Relevance will be re-evaluated in the Final Proposal and will be considered in the overall Final Proposal rating.)

A. Relevance:

a. Alignment:

i. NASA Utilization: Demonstrate that the resulting product has potential to enable/enhance NASA missions.

ii. Tipping Point Justification: Provide clear evidence that the technology is at a tipping point (per the definition provided in Section 1.2), including clear and thorough justification of the entry TRL at the time of MPP submission. The overall TRL of the system is determined by the TRL of the lowest TRL subsystem.

iii. Topic Alignment: Describe how the proposed technology is aligned with the selected Topic. NOTE: This must be the same Topic selected on the Cover Page, PSD question within NSPIRES.

b. Commercialization Impact:

i. Business Case: Provide a business case that is clearly articulated, including the anticipated product cost and comparison to current costs, as well as identification of target markets.

ii. Impact to Commercial Sector: Demonstrate that the product could make a significant impact on the commercial space sector, such as expanding existing or opening new markets, lowering price, increasing choice, or providing entirely new capabilities.

B. Technical Approach:

Provide a feasible and sound technical approach. Provide a technology development work plan that includes a detailed, milestone-based schedule, represents a realistic development plan that accomplishes the objectives of the effort within the proposed time period and advances the technology readiness level. Clearly identify major technical and schedule risks and provide feasible mitigation strategies. Demonstrate the suitability and capability of the proposed facilities, hardware/software, laboratory space, fabrication methods, equipment, and test techniques to accomplish the work.

C. Management Approach:

Describe the overall management approach for all phases of the proposed effort.

Describe the proposed teaming approach. Demonstrate that the project personnel have the skill, expertise, and experience needed to successfully execute the proposed technical approach.

D. Statement of Work: Provide a SOW that reflects the work plan outlined in the Technical Approach (see Attachment 2 for template). The draft SOW will be used as a starting point in developing the SOW to be incorporated in any resultant contract. Do not include proprietary information in the draft SOW. If work is being performed by a NASA Center and/or JPL, this work shall be captured separately in the draft SOW.

4.2.5 Price:

A. Price Reasonableness:

a. Reasonableness of Overall Price: The price proposal shall include the Total Project Cost for the development project through completion. Provide a clearly articulated price plan that fully provides the resources needed to complete the objectives of the proposed technology development as outlined in the Technical Approach which includes the appropriate skill mix and the appropriate number of hours for each skill mix. For proposal purposes, offerors shall assume a contract start date of March 1, 2020.

b. Milestone Payment Structure: The Total Project Cost shall align with the proposed milestone payments (see Milestone Payment Schedule below) and be tied to technical achievement. A price breakout by Government Fiscal Year (October 1 through September 30) shall also be included. The offeror shall provide total direct labor hours and dollars by labor category, indirect rates (e.g., overhead and G&A), travel, other direct costs (e.g., materials, equipment, and supplies), subcontracts, and profit in accordance with the format set forth in Attachment 3 (Word version will be posted on the NSPIRES solicitation webpage alongside this NRA under “Other Documents”). The offeror may revise the format set forth in Attachment 3 to accommodate their accounting system. Offerors are reminded that additional pricing information may be needed during contract negotiations, which may include certified cost and pricing information, if applicable.

c. Milestone Payment Schedule: The offeror shall provide a list of proposed capability/technology development and demonstration milestones per project phase. Each milestone shall include a descriptive title, objective success criteria for technical achievement, planned achievement dates (month and year), and a corresponding payment amount that is tied to the technical achievement. Milestones should represent significant technical and business progress in the program. At least one milestone per calendar quarter is recommended.

If partnering with a NASA Center and/or JPL, the price proposal shall list all NASA/JPL costs (e.g., procurements, equipment, personnel, or facilities) separately by Government Fiscal Year in accordance with the format set forth in Attachment 3. NASA Centers and/or JPL will be funded directly by NASA HQ and not as a part of the FFP contract award.

B. Industry Contribution:

a. Contribution: For responses to this Appendix, an Industry Contribution is required and must be met during the awarded contract period of performance.

The total value of the contribution shall be included as a separate line in the price proposal as shown in Attachment 3. Offerors shall provide the source of the contribution(s), the amount of the contribution(s), and articulate where the contribution will be utilized in the execution of the overall work plan. Any contribution must be met during the contract period of performance.

In order to count towards the Industry Contribution requirement, contributions must come from U.S. for-profit, non-profit and other non-government entities that are incorporated and operating in the U.S. However, this does not preclude contributions from U.S. for-profit, non-profit, and other non-government entities that are incorporated and operate in the U.S. and also have an affiliation with a foreign firm. Contributions coming from U.S. state, local, and federal government organizations WILL NOT count towards the Industry Contribution. For example, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding is government funding, therefore, it CANNOT count towards the Industry Contribution requirements of this Appendix.

Contributions may include any aspect of the total project costs such as contributions of equipment, property, facilities or services. However, proposed profit cannot count toward the Industry Contribution requirement. Therefore, any proposed profit shall be deducted from the Total Project Cost prior to calculating the minimum Industry Contribution.

Industry Contributions greater than the minimum requirement are strongly encouraged and will be considered in the evaluation of the Price portion of the proposal.