80HQTR27R0006_NPP-3 DRFP Cover Letter.pdf

Rev.: 6/2026

Greenbelt, MD 20771

Reply to Attn of: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Headquarters Procurement Office, Code 173

TO: All Potential Offerors

SUBJECT: Draft Request for Proposal (DRFP), Solicitation No. 80HQTR27R0006, for NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP-3)

You are invited to review and comment on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters’ (HQ) NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP-3) draft solicitation. The principal purpose of this requirement is to provide program management and administration related services which supports NASA’s Science Mission Directorates and is designed to advance NASA’s mission and vision by offering research and management opportunities to highly talented individuals who perform at NASA Centers, HQ’s, other NASA facilities as well as designated universities. The requirements include providing: 1) Program-Level Services, 2) Website and Knowledge Management Services, 3) Soliciting Applicants, 4) Receiving and Reviewing Applications, 5) Enrolling New Fellows,

6) Supporting Fellows during their Tenure, 7) Financial Reporting and Program Effectiveness, 8) Operational Performance Plan and Metrics, and 9) Phase-In and Phase-Out Activities. The Performance Work Statement (PWS), Attachment A, describes the scope of the requirement.

Potential offerors are encouraged to comment on all aspects of the draft solicitation, including the requirements, schedules, proposal instructions, and evaluation approaches, any perceived safety, occupational health, security (including information technology security), environmental, export control, and/or other programmatic risk issues associated with performance of the work. Potential offerors should identify any unnecessary or inefficient requirements and are also encouraged to comment on the DRFP CLIN structure, any unique terms and conditions, and the Section M Evaluation Criteria.

NASA will conduct this acquisition as a full and open competition. This competitive acquisition will result in a Hybrid Firm-Fixed Price and Cost-Plus-Fixed Fee (CPFF) completion contract. The contract will have a total potential period of performance of (5) years, including a (12)-month Base Period, and four (1) month option periods. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541612, Human Resources Consulting Services and the small business size standard is $29M.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

Potential offerors should ensure their company is listed in the online database(s) for the following:

(1) System for award management: https://www.sam.gov/SAM/

(2) U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, VETS-4212

Reports: https://vets4212.dol.gov/vets4212/

(3) US Government’s unique entity identifier (UEI): https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/technology-transformation-services/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update

The current planned release date for the Final Request for Proposal (RFP) is on or about November 2026, with proposals being due approximately (30) calendar days later.

The anticipated contract award date is April 2027, with a July 2027 contract effective date.

The contract will be performed: onsite at all NASA locations, offsite at participating host organizations and at the Contractor’s facilities.

The following additional information is provided to assist in understanding this acquisition:

As part of the Request for Proposal, the Government is implementing an initial proposal gate criteria. Only Offerors who meet the below gate criteria will proceed to the full evaluation:

Offerors must provide proof of J-1 Visa Processing approval from the State Department as part of the Offer Volume. Proposals that do not provide proof of the J-1 Visa Processing approval from the State Department will not be evaluated further and will be removed from the competition.

Additionally, the Offeror must be able to obtain and maintain an Authority to Operate (ATO) on behalf of NASA, in compliance with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA 2024) for the on-line and/or cloud services used for program operation.

1. A Phase-in period will be conducted. Prior to the contract effective date, a 90-day Phase-in Period will be awarded under a separate Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Purchase Order.

2. The Government will make available existing Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP) for onsite contract performance.

3. Proposals for this solicitation are required to be submitted through NASA’s

Enterprise File Sharing and Sync Box (EFSS Box), a FedRAMP Moderate certified platform. Potential offerors, especially those that have not previously submitted a proposal utilizing NASA’s EFSS Box, are encouraged to review the solicitation instruction entitled “Electronic Proposal Delivery - Proposal Marking and Delivery Through NASA’s EFSS Box” which provides instructions related to the submission of proposal via EFSS Box. Offerors are encouraged to check with their corporate IT staff to determine if there are firewall restrictions that need to be addressed prior to the submission of proposal files through NASA’s EFSS Box.

Additional information will be available in the NPP-3 Online Reference Library. Please continue to monitor SAM.gov for the link and associated documents.

To control and protect sensitive data owned by the Government and its Contractors, NASA policy requires all acquisition-related documents be released in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) with the exception of cost-exhibits.

Documents related to this acquisition, including this letter, the solicitation, attachments, exhibits, any amendments, and links to online reference/technical/bidders’ library will be attainable electronically through the Government-wide point of entry website at www.SAM.gov. Potential Offerors are requested to periodically monitor the websites for updates.

NFS 1852.215-84, OMBUDSMAN, is applicable. The Ombudsman for this acquisition is Insert Ombudsman name, email address, and phone #.

COs can obtain Ombudsman information at https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate- Listing.pdf.

This DRFP is not a solicitation, and NASA is not requesting proposals. This DRFP does not commit NASA HQ’s to pay any proposal preparation costs, nor does it obligate NASA HQ’s to procure or contract for this requirement. This request is not an authorization to proceed and does not authorize payment for any charges incurred by the offeror for performing any of the work called for in this solicitation.

Any comments regarding the DRFP should be submitted electronically in writing, to Leona D. Ellis, Contracting Officer, at leona.d.ellis@nasa.gov, within (14) calendar days after the release of this DRFP. If a respondent believes their comments contain confidential, proprietary, competition sensitive, or business information, those questions/comments must be marked appropriately. However, questions that are marked as containing confidential, proprietary, competition sensitive or business information will not be provided with a Government response. The Government will consider all comments received in preparation for the Final RFP. To the extent a comment leads the Government to revise the acquisition approach or requirements, the change will be reflected in the Final RFP. Some DRFP questions and comments may receive a posted response to the GPE if the Contracting Officer determines that a response would facilitate additional understanding of the solicitation. The Government may also respond via the GPE to comments and/or questions received following the issuance of the Final Request for Proposal (RFP).

Leona D. Ellis Contracting Officer

Enclosure:

Draft RFP No. 80HQTR27R0006

Attachments:

Attachment A – Performance Work Statement (PWS) Attachment B – Financial Management Reporting Attachment B-1 – Payment Table for Completed and Accepted Fixed Price Services Attachment C – Safety and Health Plan Attachment D – Small Business Subcontracting Plan Attachment E – Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) Attachment E.1 – Security Requirements for Unclassified IT Resources Data Requirements

Description (DRD) Attachment E.2 – Commercial Super Intelligence Risk and Impact Assessment (CSIRIA)

DRD

Attachment E.3 – Commercial IT Authorization Report (CITAR) DRD Attachment E.4 – IT Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) DRD Attachment F – Information Systems Security Plan Cover Page

Enclosures:

Enclosure 1 – Past Performance Questionnaire Enclosure 2 – Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan Enclosure 3 – CITAR Report Template

Exhibits:

Exhibits 1-6 – Cost Charts