ATCH 6_NITE-STAR CD IDIQ_Section L_20260312_FINAL.pdf

National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC)

Innovative Technology & Engineering - Space Test and

Range (NITE-STAR)

Capability Development

Multiple Award (MA) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite

Quantity (IDIQ)

FA2553-26-R-B001

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS,

CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO

OFFERORS

12 March 2026

Solicitation # FA255326RB001, NITE-STAR Capability Development IDIQ

Attachment 6 Section L

Table of Contents

1. OVERVIEW

1.1 Contract Type

1.2 Period of Performance

1.3 Contract Award

1.4 Point of Contact

1.5 Exchange of Information

1.6 Proposal Property

1.7 Amendments to Solicitation

1.8 Consideration of Alternate Proposal

1.9 Debriefings

2. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

2.1 Proposal Due Date

2.2 Questions

2.3 Discrepancies, Errors, and Omissions

2.4 Electronic Proposal

3. PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION AND CONTENT

3.1 Page Limitations

3.2 Page Size and Format

3.3 Labeling

3.4 Cover Page

3.5 Table of Contents

3.6 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms

3.7 Proposal Organization Table

4. INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOLUME I – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

5. INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOLUME II – TECHNICAL FACTOR

5.1 General

5.2 Technical Subfactors

5.2.1 Subfactor 1 (Gate 1): Security Compliance Requirements

5.2.2 Subfactor 2: Qualifying Relevant Projects (QRPs)

6 INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOLUME III – CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION

6.1 General Instructions

6.2 Company Cover Letter

6.3 Non-Government Advisors Consent/Objection

6.4 Standard Form 33 Solicitation, Offer, and Award

6.5 Organizational Conflict of Interest

6.6 Space Contractor Responsibility Watch List (CRWL) (if applicable)

6.7 Contractor Responsibility

1. OVERVIEW

This acquisition for the National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC) Innovative

Technology & Engineering - Space Test and Range (NITE-STAR) Capability Development

Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Basic Contract will be conducted pursuant to the source selection procedures in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.101-2 and 15.3 as supplemented by the DoD Source Selection Procedures referenced in Defense Federal

Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 215.300. The Operational Test and Training

Infrastructure (OTTI) Enterprise has established a Source Selection Team (SST) to evaluate the proposals submitted for this acquisition. The North American Industry Classification System

(NAICS) code for this effort is 541715, with a size standard of 1,000 employees.

1.1 Contract Type

The Government contemplates awarding multiple-award IDIQ contracts as a result of this solicitation. Competitions for task/delivery orders will be conducted via Fair Opportunity Proposal

Request (FOPR) unless an Exception to Fair Opportunity (EFO) applies. The Government plans to utilize Firm-Fixed Price (FFP), Fixed Price Incentive Firm (FPIF), Cost Plus Incentive Fee

(CPIF), Cost Plus Fixed-Fee (CPFF), Cost Reimbursable (CR), Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF), and

Fixed Price Award Fee (FPAF) contract types on the task/delivery orders, but reserves the right to use any contract type described in FAR Part 16.

1.2 Period of Performance

The ordering period for this contract will be a base five-year ordering period with a one five-year option ordering period. The overall period of performance for task/delivery orders can extend beyond the ordering period but performance shall not extend more than one (1) year beyond the optional ordering period end date.

1.3 Contract Award

The Government plans to award a basic IDIQ contract to all qualifying Offerors determined to be capable of meeting the NITE-STAR Capability Development requirements. However, the

Government reserves the right to make no award at all.

1.4 Point of Contact

The Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), Mr. Seneca Alvarado, and the Contract Specialist(s) are the sole points of contact for this IDIQ..

Oral communications are not permissible. No telephonic communications will be permitted.

1.5 Exchange of Information

The PCO and the Contract Specialist(s) will control electronic exchanges of source selection information between the Government and Offerors. In addition, for proper security marking, email communication shall include “Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 & 3.104” in the subject line. Alternate means of communication may occur if approved by the PCO.

1.6 Proposal Property

Proposals become the property of the U.S. Government after submission. The Offeror is responsible for marking its proposal pages and sections that it deems to be “proprietary”, copyrighted, or otherwise restricted from use or release.

1.7 Amendments to Solicitation

If this solicitation is amended, all terms and conditions which are not amended will remain unchanged and in full force and effect.

1.8 Consideration of Alternate Proposal

Proposals that do not address all requirements described within this document or that do not meet program objectives shall be deemed alternate proposals. Alternate proposals shall not be considered.

1.9 Debriefings

Debriefings will be handled in accordance with FAR 15.505 and FAR 15.506.

2. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

2.1 Proposal Due Date

All Offeror proposals must be submitted no later than 1200 Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) on

17 April 2026. Early submission is acceptable and encouraged. The entire proposal package must be submitted electronically via DoD SAFE to the PCO. Offerors must email

SSC.TIK.NITESTAR@spaceforce.mil to request a DoD SAFE drop off link.

mailto:SSC.TIK.NITESTAR@spaceforce.mil

2.2 Questions

Offerors may submit questions regarding the solicitation on or before seven (7) calendar days after release of the RFP (1700 MDT, 24 March 2026). The Government will provide responses to questions to all Offerors, regardless of the source of the question.

All questions must be submitted using Attachment 11 – Question and Answer (Q&A) Template.

Attachment 11 contains further instructions under the spreadsheet tab “Instructions.” All Offerors shall clearly identify each question with a reference to the solicitation. Questions shall be sent via email to the Contracting Team at SSC.TIK.NITESTAR@spaceforce.mil.

2.3 Discrepancies, Errors, and Omissions

If an Offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the Offeror shall immediately notify the PCO via email to

SSC.TIK.NITESTAR@spaceforce.mil with supporting rationale as well as the remedies the

Offeror is asking the PCO to consider as related to the omission or error..

2.4 Electronic Proposal

The Offeror shall submit each volume in electronic format, unclassified only. Classified proposal information will not be accepted in response to this solicitation. Offerors will utilize DoD SAFE and will not rely on any other electronic transmission (including transmission by email). No hard copies of proposals will be accepted (hand delivered or traditional mail).

The proposal volumes should be submitted in Adobe Acrobat portable document file (pdf) searchable text format. The Offeror shall not embed sound or video files into the proposal files.

Electronic files shall be clearly identified for each volume. Offerors shall submit separate documents for each proposal volume. Each volume must be organized to be consistent with each section as identified in Table 1 - Proposal Organization. The Offeror shall use the following nomenclature for their proposal submission: Offeror Name_FA2553-26-R-B001_Volume #.

DoD SAFE automatically tracks the date and time of all submissions. Proposals received after the date and time specified will be treated IAW FAR 52.215-1(c)(3).

3. PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION AND CONTENT

The Offeror’s proposal must include all data and information requested in Section L and must be submitted in accordance with these instructions. Non-conformance may result in an offer being ineligible for award. The proposal materials shall be organized into the following three volumes:

(1) Volume I – Executive Summary, (2) Volume II – Technical Factor, and (3) Volume III –

Contract Documentation.

3.1 Page Limitations

The entries in the Page Limit column in Table 1 are the maximum number of pages for each volume. The Government will count each page, except for those identified in Table 1 as not being included in the volume page count. If an Offeror’s proposal exceeds the maximum pages allotted, the Government will not read, nor consider as part of the evaluation of the proposal, any pages in excess of the maximum.

For those proposal elements that have no page limits, the Offeror’s response shall convey the required information in a clear and concise manner.

Offerors shall not embed additional files or other attachments within the PDF documents.

3.2 Page Size and Format

For all volumes of the proposal, Offerors shall use 8.5-inch by 11-inch pages for text sections.

Offerors shall use at least 1-inch margins all around (top, bottom, left and right margins) and Times

New Roman font no less than 11-point size. For charts, graphs, figures, tables, diagrams, and schematics, the text size shall be no less than 8-point Times New Roman font.

Offerors shall use no less than single line spacing for text. Offerors shall number pages sequentially within each volume.

If the Government issues Evaluation Notices (ENs) to Offerors, all page count, page size, and format restrictions applicable to the initial proposal will also apply to EN responses and any associated changed pages, unless specifically addressed by the PCO in any instructions included in the letter of transmittal issuing the ENs to the Offeror.

3.3 Labeling

Offerors shall apply all appropriate markings, including those prescribed IAW FAR 52.215-1(e), Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data, and FAR 3.104-4, Disclosure, Protection, and Marking of Contractor Bid or Proposal Information and Source Selection Information.

3.4 Cover Page

The Offeror shall include a cover page with each volume. The cover page shall include the

Offeror’s name, volume number, and solicitation number. The Offeror shall not use colors associated with security classifications. Cover pages do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.

3.5 Table of Contents

The Offeror shall provide a detailed table of contents for each volume (except Executive Summary) that delineates subparagraphs within that volume. The Offeror should use available navigation tools, such as Bookmarks, in Adobe Acrobat to facilitate navigation within documents. Tables of contents do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.

3.6 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms

The Offeror shall provide a glossary in each volume of all abbreviations and acronyms used in the volume, with an explanation or definition for each acronym or abbreviation. Glossaries do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.

3.7 Proposal Organization Table

Volume Section L

Paragraph Volume Title

Page

Limit

I 4 Volume I – Executive Summary

- Cover Page*

- Narrative Summary Overview

- Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms*

II 5 Volume II – Technical Factor

- Cover Page*

- Table of Contents*

- Technical Factor

- Subfactor 1 (Gate 1): Security Compliance

Requirements*

- Subfactor 2: Qualifying Relevant

Project (QRP)

- Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms*

III 6 Volume III – Contract Documentation

- Cover Page

- Table of Contents

- Company Cover Letter

- Non-Government Advisors Consent/Objection

- Standard Form 33 Solicitation, Offer, and

Award

- OCI Analysis

- OCI Mitigation Plan (if applicable)

- CRWL Documentation (if applicable)

- Contractor Responsibility Documentation

- Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms

No

Limit

*Not included in page limit

Table 1 - Proposal Organization

4. INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOLUME I – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An Executive Summary is required from all Offerors. In this volume, the Offeror shall provide a narrative summary overview of its proposal. The Government will not evaluate this volume. The

Government will not consider any of the material presented in this volume as meeting the requirements for any portions of other volumes of the proposal. If the Offeror intends information included in the narrative summary to be included in the Government’s evaluation, the Offeror must provide the information in the appropriate proposal volume.

5. INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOLUME II – TECHNICAL FACTOR

5.1 General

The Technical Volume shall be clear, concise, and include all the required information in sufficient detail for effective evaluation. The Offeror should not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these requirements. Offerors shall assume the Government has no prior knowledge of their capabilities, work processes, facilities, or experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Offeror’s technical proposal. By submitting a proposal, the Offeror is representing that it is capable of performing all the requirements outlined in Attachment 1, Statement of Work which will be executed via task and/or delivery orders.

The Technical Volume shall be organized in accordance with Table 1 - Volume Organization.

The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s technical proposal as outlined in Section M, Evaluation Criteria, utilizing a gated evaluation approach for the following technical subfactors:

▪ Subfactor 1 (Gate 1): Security Compliance Requirements

▪ Subfactor 2: Qualifying Relevant Projects

5.2 Technical Subfactors

The Offeror shall submit a written technical proposal that addresses each of the following subfactors:

5.2.1 Subfactor 1 (Gate 1): Security Compliance Requirements

The Offeror shall provide evidence of a minimum facility clearance level (FCL) of

TOP SECRET and possession of a facility that is accredited for performing and safeguarding work up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information

(TS/SCI) as of the proposal submission date. Evidence shall be submitted in the form of an FCL letter. The FCL letter will not count against the Volume II 15-page limit.

The Offeror shall provide evidence of the ability to perform cybersecurity and risk management framework (RMF) type of work IAW National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-37 and NIST SP 800-53 regulations. Evidence shall be submitted in the form of NIST SP 800-37 and NIST SP 800-53 certification documents. Certification documents, such as a signed Authorization to Operate

(ATO) letter or an executive summary of a System Security Plan (SSP) from previous systems, are acceptable. The NIST certification documents will not count against the Volume II 15-page limit.

5.2.2 Subfactor 2: Qualifying Relevant Projects (QRPs)

The Offeror shall submit evidence of two (2) QRPs detailing work experience, as the

Prime contractor, responsible for system development and integration of a space system

(consisting of a space vehicle or payload) and a ground system. Work experience shall be a minimum of six (6) months of continuous contract performance within the past ten

(10) years as from the date of issuance of this solicitation. The Offeror must have manufactured the vehicle or the payload and have been responsible for overall system integration and mission operations. Additional QRPs submitted beyond the required two

(2) QRPs will not be evaluated.

▪ Space System QRP: The Offeror must submit one (1) Space QRP focused on work experience including, at a minimum, system development (vehicle or payload) and integration, and the attributes or capabilities outlined in Section M paragraph 4.3.3.

AND

▪ Ground System QRP: The Offeror must submit one (1) Ground QRP focused on work experience including, at a minimum, development, integration, testing, and operational support of ground system software that supports on-orbit spacecraft or mission operations, and the attributes or capabilities outlined in Section M paragraph 4.3.4.

The QRPs must include the contract numbers for the work experience demonstrated in the QRPs. Only one contract number may be submitted for each Space QRP, and only one contract number may be submitted for the Ground QRP. The QRPs shall be a minimum of one page in length. The format for the QRP evidence shall be at the Offeror’s discretion. All QRP evidence will count against the Volume II 15-page limit.

6 INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOLUME III – CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION

6.1 General Instructions

The Offeror shall submit the following elements to support preparing the contract documents and supporting file. The Government will not evaluate contract documentation as part of the factors in

Section M; however, the PCO will review the contract documentation for compliance and completeness. Errors or omissions in preparing the contract documentation could result in the PCO determining the offer to be ineligible for award.

6.2 Company Cover Letter

The Offeror shall provide a concise Cover Letter signed by an authorized agent of the company.

This Cover Letter shall include the following:

▪ Authorized Personnel

The Offeror shall provide the name, title, telephone number, and email address of the company/division point of contact regarding the Offeror’s proposal and who is authorized to obligate for their company contractually. The Offeror shall identify all individuals authorized to conduct exchanges with the Government.

▪ Company/Division Address, Identifying Codes, Small Business (SB) classification, Applicable Designations, and Partners

The Offeror shall provide the company/division’s street address, county, state and facility code; Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code and Unique Entity

Identifier (UEI) number; SB classification under North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) 541715, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology), with a size standard of 1,000 employees.

The Offeror shall also identify subcontractors and other entities contributing to your proposal. If the Offeror is a Joint Venture (JV), an explanation of the JV and the relationship between all parties of the JV.

▪ Government Offices

If applicable, the Offeror shall provide the mailing address, email address, telephone number, and facility codes for the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)

Contract Administration Office, Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), and

Government Paying Office.

▪ Proposal Validity

The Offeror shall make a clear statement that the proposal is valid for 240 calendar days from the proposal due date.

▪ Amendment Acknowledgement

If this solicitation is amended, Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendments and provide confirmations.

6.3 Non-Government Advisors Consent/Objection

Offerors are advised that data submitted to the Government in response to this solicitation will be released to individuals who work for the following companies as non-Government advisors for review and analysis:

Non-Government Advisors

The Aerospace Corporation

Galapagos Federal Systems, LLC

Pacific Global Security Group LLC

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Inc.

TruNorte, LLC

Table 2: Non-Government Advisors

Individuals from the above support contractors have signed individual non-disclosure agreements with the Government, which strictly prohibits any source selection information release or disclosure of information outside of the source selection team.

Proposal submission constitutes written consent that support contractors will review the Offeror's proposal.

6.4 Standard Form 33 Solicitation, Offer, and Award

The Offeror shall:

▪ Complete blocks 14 (if applicable), 15, 16, 17, and 18 on the Standard Form (SF) 33 –

Solicitation, Offer, and Award. The signature by the Offeror on the SF 33 constitutes an offer, which the Government may or may not accept. The Offeror shall acknowledge all amendments either by signing and returning the SF30 (i.e., cover page only) or by acknowledging the amendments in Block 14 of the SF33

▪ Complete the fill-in’s found in Section I

▪ Review and fill-in requested information within Section K. Provided Reps & Certs will be incorporated by reference into the contract via FAR 52.204-19

▪ Complete Blocks 6a, 6b, 6c and add any additional performance locations under

Block 8 of the DD254 (Attachment 2)

6.5 Organizational Conflict of Interest

Offerors shall assess if they have any OCI issues in accordance with FAR 9.5, DFARS 209.5 and

DAFFARS 5309.5. The Offeror shall perform an Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) analysis and submit the results of that analysis as part of the proposal. Specifically, the Offeror shall analyze the planned acquisition for actual or potential OCI situations associated with the

Offeror or any of the Offeror’s proposed teammate’s or subcontractor’s performance under any contract the Offeror or the Offeror’s teammates or subcontractors has been or may be awarded by any federal agency or other entity. The Offeror shall describe in detail the methodology used to identify actual or potential OCI issues.

If the Offeror identifies any actual or potential OCIs with respect to the performance of the Offeror or the Offeror’s subcontractors or teammates, the contractor shall provide an OCI Mitigation Plan to be incorporated as an attachment to any resulting contract. At a minimum, the plan shall address all of the items identified in the attached OCI Mitigation Plan Checklist provided as Attachment 8 to this RFP. Any proposed avoidance or mitigation techniques shall be consistent with FAR 9.5 and the most recent decisions of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Any Offeror who currently provides Advisory & Assistance Services (A&AS), Systems

Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA), or Federally Funded Research and Development

Centers (FFRDC) support services to OTTI is precluded from submitting a proposal for this effort.

Proposals from conflicted companies will be discarded without evaluation. This includes any

LLC’s, subsidiaries, partnerships, or any affiliations that could create the appearance of an OCI.

6.6 Space Contractor Responsibility Watch List (CRWL) (if applicable)

In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 2271a and DAFGM 2025-63-01, Space Contractor Responsibility

Watch List (CRWL), the Contracting Officer may not enter into discussions (or equivalent) with or award a contract to a contractor included on the CRWL without obtaining the approval of the

Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (SAF/SQ). A contractor that has been notified that it has been added to the CRWL may respond to this solicitation but must submit documentation in this volume describing the conditions that resulted in its inclusion on the

CRWL and why those conditions will not impact performance on a contract resulting from this solicitation. SAF/SQ will consider information provided by the contractor as well as other available information in determining whether to authorize the Contracting Officer to enter into discussions (or equivalent) with or make an award to a contractor listed on the Space CRWL.

In addition, in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 2271a and DAFGM 2025-63-01, Space CRWL, and the SAF/SQ Class Deviation of FAR clause 52.244-2, Subcontracts, in this solicitation, the offeror must receive written consent of the Contracting Officer prior to subcontracting with any contractor on the CRWL for any subcontract, regardless of dollar value. The Contracting Officer may not provide this consent without obtaining the approval of SAF/SQ. Offerors must require proposed subcontractors to notify the offeror if the subcontractor has been notified by SAF/SQ that they have been included on the CRWL. In order to be considered for a subcontract, a proposed subcontractor that is on the CRWL must submit documentation describing the conditions that resulted in its inclusion on the CRWL and why those conditions will not impact subcontract performance. The proposed subcontractor may submit CRWL-related documentation through the offeror or directly to the Contracting Officer as long as the information is received prior to the proposal due date. In addition, the offeror must submit its determination of subcontractor responsibility in this volume. SAF/SQ will consider information provided by the prime contractor and the proposed subcontractor as well as other available information in determining whether to authorize the Contracting Officer to grant consent to subcontract.

6.7 Contractor Responsibility

The Offeror shall provide information that presents a brief verifiable self-assessment in the areas of responsibility as described in FAR 9.104-1 as supplemented by DFARS and Department of the

Air Force Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DAFFARS).

IAW FAR 16.104(i), the Offeror shall provide a summary description of its accounting system and submit a copy of applicable Government approvals / determinations, to include the CAGE codes(s) associated with these systems.