ICE CHILL Notice of Partnering Opportunity - FINAL - eh.pdf

Notice of Partnering Opportunity Integrated Cryo-operable Electronics to Condition Hibernation for Improved Li-ion

Longevity (ICE CHILL)

80GRC024R0011

General Information

The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) Photovoltaic and Electrochemical Systems Branch is seeking sources to conduct joint research in support of a pending proposal to the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Early Career Initiative (ECI) fiscal year 2025 solicitation. The ECI provides the opportunity for the early career workforce to propose and develop innovative aerospace technology projects, engage with leading industry and academic partners, and develop the skills required to manage and transition transformative concepts into future NASA missions. Specifically for this Notice of Partnering Opportunity (NPO), NASA GRC is seeking sources that can provide either low-temperature electronic components (operable down to 50K), passive thermal case design for protecting cells in Lunar environment, and/or space-grade Li-ion cells with an exhaustive data set to train prognostics and heath monitoring of the battery management system (BMS). These needs will aid in development of an integrated BMS designed to enable passive cell hibernation/survival through the Lunar night without noticeable performance degradation after thaw.

Purpose of Notice

NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is issuing this Notice of Partnering Opportunity (NPO) for the purpose of openly and competitively selecting prospective team members to assist it in the preparation of proposals to be submitted by GRC to the STMD ECI solicitation. This process is being conducted in accordance with NASA FAR Supplement 1872.3. By this Notice, GRC is seeking information from partners regarding their availability, cost, capabilities, and past performance that relates to the science partnerships on potential future missions, technology and instrument developments, and laboratory experiments. This Notice also authorizes NASA GRC to award grants, cooperative agreements and/or contracts to its selected partner(s) without further competition or justification, for execution of any GRC proposal that is selected in these partnerships.

Overview

This Notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a partnership. This Notice is subject to revision or cancellation at any time. Based on the responses to this Notice, GRC anticipates selecting organizations with which GRC would then immediately work directly and individually to develop, complete, and submit proposals in response to the above-mentioned objectives.

During the development of specific proposals, specific roles and cost estimates for the selected partners will be developed. For any GRC proposal that is selected, GRC intends to negotiate, without further competition or justification, a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract with each proposal partner, consistent with their agreed upon roles and this Notice. During these procurement negotiations, the specific statement of work, terms and conditions, and procurement value will be determined. There will be no exchange of funds between GRC and the teaming partners during the preparation of proposals. NASA GRC will not be responsible for any costs incurred by respondents in preparing a response to proposals or by the selected partners in assisting GRC in the preparation of proposals.

SECTION 1—INTRODUCTION

Participation

Participation in this partnering synopsis is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S.

organizations, including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit institutions, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as NASA Centers and other U.S. Government Agencies.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Other Minority Universities (OMUs), small, disadvantaged businesses (SDBs)(8a), veteran-owned small businesses, service, disabled veteran-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, and women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are encouraged to apply. Participation by non-U.S. organizations is welcome but subject to NASAs policy of no exchange of funds, in which each government supports its own national participants and associated costs.

SECTION 2—SCOPE

Overview

This Notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract.

This Notice is subject to revision or cancellation at any time.

There will be no exchange of funds between NASA and the selected partner(s) for responses prepared against this Notice of Partnering Opportunity or the ICE CHILL proposal development.

That is, NASA will not be responsible for any costs incurred by respondents in preparing a response to this Notice or by the selected partner in preparation of the ICE CHILL proposal.

Details of The Opportunity

The Photovoltaic and Electrochemical Systems Branch at NASA GRC is seeking a partner(s) for an upcoming proposal to the STMD to collaborate on a research and technology development effort focused on Li-ion cell hibernation and survivability through the Lunar night. The NASA GRC team will be designing, assembling, and testing a cryo-operable battery management system that enables the passive survival of Li-ion cells. They will also be characterizing cell level performance in a simulated Lunar environment. The partner(s) will be responsible for providing electronic components, thermal design and/or Li-ion cells and their data sets in addition to any necessary accompanied testing or analysis. The partner(s) will meet with the GRC team for discussions regarding testing, system performance, and other insights gathered during the project.

Details of the ECI Solicitation The ECI proposal is due no later than March 15, 2024, and selection of funded proposals is expected by April 17, 2024, with projects beginning October 1, 2024 and continuing for two full years (i.e., concluding by September 30, 2026). Potential partners must be available to work on joint projects during the proposal timeframe and the funded project timeframe if the proposal is funded.

SECTION 3—RESPONSES TO NOTICE

Each potential partner is required to provide a 2-page capability statement that demonstrates its ability to conduct or provide research and technology development as described in the previous paragraph. Potential partners may provide information on specific research or technology development they would like to conduct with NASA GRC. Please indicate all personnel (e.g., employees, faculty, student, etc.) to be involved in the work and a statement acknowledging their availability. Any partner facilities that will be used during the project period should also be identified. The potential partner must be able to provide an authorized, signed Letter of Commitment for the ECI proposal by March 6, 2024.

The response is limited to a 2-page capability statement that fully addresses the evaluation criteria in not less than 12-point font, submitted as an electronic PDF document. Excluded from the page count are the cover letter, title pages, table of contents, resumes, and an acronym list.

Responders are free to attach additional appendices that further describe their capabilities.

However, only the required 2-page capability statement will be evaluated for selection.

The responses are due to NASA GRC no later than 5:00 pm ET on February 27, 2024. Any responses received after this time and date will be handled as late responses in accordance with FAR 15.208. Responses to this Notice must be submitted in the form of a Portable Data Format (PDF) file. Responses shall be submitted via email to Kevin M. Carroll at kevin.m.carroll@nasa.gov.

All responses will be treated as proprietary information and controlled as such.

Questions

All questions pertaining to this Notice must be submitted to the Contracting Officer in writing via email at kevin.m.carroll@nasa.gov. Questions are due by 5:00pm February 22, 2024. If the government choose to respond to submitted questions, they will be posted at a later date as attachment to this notice.

Evaluation of Responses The evaluation team will use the following factors in selection and award. The government will evaluate the submitted response based on these factors that are listed in order of importance:

1. Innovativeness and potential impact of the proposed specific joint research or technology development for low-temperature Li-ion survivability and BMS cryo-operation.

2. Qualifications of the potential partner for generic joint research or technology development for low-temperature Li-ion survivability and BMS cryo-operation.

3. Unique, distinctive, or proprietary methods, codes, or facilities for support for low-temperature Li-ion survivability and BMS cryo-operation.

4. Information regarding past performance, e.g., publications, list of contracts, grants and other work completed which are similar to the proposed research/technology topic(s) or low-temperature Li-ion survivability and BMS cryo-operation.

NASA GRC anticipates completing its evaluation and selection process by March 1, 2024.

Selected partners will be contacted directly by the GRC project manager or management sponsor to develop the proposal. At that time, GRC may ask for supplemental information to your proposal.

Communication Restrictions

GRC will impose local restrictions on communications regarding this notice and the processing of responses. All communications with potential respondents will be restricted to the technical and procurement points of contact identified in the synopsis of this NPO.

Additional Information Releases

The NAICS Code and Size Standard are 541715 and 1,000 respectively.

The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12.

NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html

It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor this website for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any).

Evaluators of responses, which are submitted under this process, may include non-US Government personnel (i.e. the Principal Investigator). Therefore, responders are hereby on notice that responders submitted hereunder may be released outside the Government but shall be released solely for the purpose of evaluation of responses as part of this selection process. All responders acknowledge acceptance of this condition by the submittal of their responses.