JOFOC - TSIS-1 (FINAL)_Redacted.pdf

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC)

For Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-1 (TSIS-1) Mission

Operations and Data Processing Procurement

Solicitation # 80GSFC22R0031

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.303-2(b)(1) – Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Justification for other than full and open competition.”

This document is a justification for other than full and open competition prepared by the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center

(GSFC).

The procuring agency is NASA, and the contracting activity is GSFC), Greenbelt, Maryland.

2. FAR 6.303-2(b)(2) – The nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This justification provides the rationale for contracting by other than full and open competition to award a sole-source, Cost No Fee (CNF) contract to the Laboratory for Atmospheric and

Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado, for the continued mission operations and data processing of the Total and Spectral solar Irradiance Sensor-1 (TSIS-1) system currently in operation on the International Space Station (ISS). LASP is performing TSIS-1 mission operations and data processing support services under the current, prime mission contract

80GSFC18C0056 for 5 years. Shortly after early on-orbit checkout, operations by LASP transitioned under Earth Science Mission Operations (ESMO) Project Code 428.

The period of performance for this follow-on CNF contract is 5 years (1 year base period plus

4 one-year options).

3. FAR 6.303-2(b)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the

Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

NASA is tasked with the acquisition, development and delivery of the TSIS-1 operations and data processing support services to continue performing key climate measurements of Total

Solar Irradiance (TSI) and Spectral Solar Irradiance (SSI) sensor systems. The TSI sensor collects high accuracy, high precision measurements of total solar irradiance to monitor changes in solar irradiance incident at the top of the Earth’s atmosphere. The SSI sensor collects high accuracy, high precision measurements of solar radiation as a function of wavelength. The Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) and Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) instruments on the NASA Solar Radiation and Climate (SORCE) and TSI Calibration Transfer

Equipment (TCTE) missions, also built and operated by LASP, previously captured these measurements.

Under this contract, the scope of TSIS-1 operations efforts are as follows:

a. Develop TSIS-1 command procedures, scripts and command uploads for on-orbit operations of the sensors. The uploads will be a routine weekly effort, but urgent uploads may be necessary for flight anomalies and changing ISS activities.

b. Validate and transfer command procedures, scripts, and command upload to the POIC for upload to the ISS after validation.

c. Receive and monitor sensor operations, health, and science telemetry.

d. Analyze sensor performance, including state of health monitoring and long-term trending.

e. Maintain the Spectral Radiometer Facility and the Total Radiance Facility with standards for flight model comparisons.

f. Investigate and resolve on-orbit anomalies that affect TSIS-1 performance parameters and/or anomalies that threaten TSIS-1 health and safety.

Under this contract, the scope of TSIS-1 data processing efforts are as follows:

a. Process, manage, analyze, and distribute TSIS-1 science data products.

b. Facilitate scientific analysis of algorithms, calibration data and data products.

c. Reprocess entire or partial mission data sets when algorithms or calibrations have major updates.

d. Maintain all processing software, calibration data, science data products, and other information under configuration control.

e. Conduct formal versioned software releases and maintain unique data product versions for each sensor.

f. Maintain traceability between software, calibration data, data products and production job parameters.

g. Provide data backup and archiving.

h. Retain all data products for the life of the mission and demote data that are more than two versions old.

i. Maintain the ATBD for the TSIS-1 sensors.

The estimated cost of this follow-on contract is approximately based on a

Government in-house cost estimate. The expected award date for the new contract is January

31, 2023 with an effective date of March 15, 2023.

4. FAR 6.303-2(b)(4) – An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), as implemented by the FAR Subpart 6.302-1, entitled “Only One Responsible Source and No

Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.”

5. FAR 6.303-2(b)(5) – A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

The rationale supporting the use of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1) is the fact that LASP is the only organization qualified to perform the subject requirements as described below.

The fundamental requirement for TSIS-1 instrument on ISS is to make precise and accurate measurements of the total solar irradiance (TSI) and spectral solar irradiance (SSI) sensor systems and connect them to previous TSI and SSI measurements to form long-term climate records. LASP is uniquely qualified to perform the highly specialized services required as they are the original manufacturer who developed the TSIS-1 instrument on ISS. LASP designed, developed and provided the complex and mission unique subsystem flight hardware, software, test procedures, interface control documents, operational guides, and other documentation for the TSIS-1 Instrument. As part of subsystem development efforts, LASP participated in anomaly investigation efforts for TSIS-1 and has the corporate knowledge and expertise to provide mission operations and anomaly resolution support.

LASP has developed and maintains two permanent laboratory facilities, the Total Radiance

Facility (TRF) and the Spectral Radiance Facility (SRF), that provide calibration to the

National Institute of Standards and Technology Level 1 TSI and SSI calibration standards.

These two facilities are used for the TSIS-1 final calibration and can assist in future on-orbit anomaly investigations. Additionally, LASP has an existing TSIS Science Operation Center that meets the mission requirements and an experienced staff to operate and process the TSIS-

1 data. This gives LASP the unique advantage of being the only organization that can understand and operate the Science Operation Center.

LASP also designed, developed and performed TIM operations and data processing for the

TCTE mission in addition to designing, developing, operating, analyzing and processing data from the TIM and SIM instruments for the SORCE mission. The set of ground software from previous TIM missions, designed and built by LASP for TIM data processing is fully qualified by the NASA IV&V processes and unique to the LASP TIM operations, hybrid phase-sensitive detection and DC-subtraction data processing algorithms. Additionally, the ATBDs for TIM has been fully reviewed by NASA Earth science groups and fulfills the TSIS-1 requirement for an in-place system that processes Level 3 science data products. Through the experience of developing and operating the TIM instruments on TCTE, TIM and SIM instruments on

SORCE and TSIS-1, LASP has acquired the specialized expertise that is critical to the continued success of TSIS-1. This technical expertise resides in the knowledge of the unique devices, computer software, and instrument designed, developed, and implemented by LASP personnel. An intricate understanding of the relevant hardware and software is crucial to meeting the required performance of TSIS-1. Only LASP meets the Government’s primary requirement for continuity between solar irradiance missions. To provide the needed hardware, software, and test facilities, another contractor would have to develop personnel expertise and experience along with engineering, management, and quality assurance plans, processes, and procedures associated with the design, manufacture, integration, test, and calibration of TIM and SIM instruments. Only LASP possess these capabilities and specialized experience / expertise gained from the previous TIM and SIM instrument builds.

Moreover, acquisition from a source other than LASP would result in a substantial duplication of costs related to parallel operations. For any contractor other than LASP, a bridge contract would need to be put in place with the existing contract to overlap current operations with the potential new contractors and execute parallel operations while the new contractor becomes proficient with TSIS-1 instrument operations and ground system. Parallel or dual operations for a 9-month overlap would result in significant additional costs to the Government. The award of a contract to LASP substantially reduces the technical risk and cost associated with parallel operations.

Furthermore, the learning curve for a contractor other than LASP presents substantial risk to the Government because the new contractor team would not be familiar with the technical details of the TSIS-1 subsystems and instruments and therefore may not recognize issues in a timely fashion or understand the depth and extent of the issue. A slow or ineffective response would result in additional costs to the Government, and risk loss of, or damage to, the TSIS-1 instrument itself. A loss of data or delay in processing data due to an instrument subsystem anomaly can cause substantial cost impacts to the Government and the science community. As such, there is no other potential provider of the TSIS-1 system that can meet the operational, data processing technical and scientific requirements for the TSIS-1 project.

6. FAR 6.303-2(b)(6) – A description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies:

A notice to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (Sam.gov) was published on March

16, 2022, in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.2. This posting informed potential sources of

NASA’s intent to award this sole source contract to LASP and provided potential sources with the opportunity to be considered based on their qualifications and capability statements. The results of this synopsis are summarized in Section 10 below.

7. FAR 6.303-2(b)(7) – A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable:

The Contracting Officer’s signature on this document indicates that the Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

LASP shall be required to submit a proposal to be evaluated and negotiated by the Government.

Negotiations of cost will be determined fair and reasonable based on historical cost information and the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE). The GSFC Contracting Officer and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will evaluate the proposed costs to determine that the direct labor rates, direct labor hours, skill mix, other direct costs, and indirect costs are reasonable. This may also include support from external organizations such as the Office of

Naval Research, as needed.

8. FAR 6.303-2(b)(8) – Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reasons a market research was not conducted:

The Government has conducted market research and determined LASP is the only responsible contractor for this effort. TSIS-1 instrument subsystems are unique in which specialized expertise is required to produce, integrate, and troubleshoot anomalies within these subsystems. Although there are other companies that provide Mission Operations Support, LASP is the only vendor that has the unique capabilities to provide this support to TSIS-1 as they were responsible for designing, developing, and providing the subsystem flight hardware, software, test procedures, Interface Control Documents, and operational procedures for the

TSIS-1 Instrument currently in operation on the ISS. No other institution has the knowledge of the TSIS-1 instrument operations, flight instrument design and calibration, and anomaly response resolution to be able to continue the mission operations and data analysis phase. This market research is a result of years working with satellite and instrument developers, and involvement in the process of development and on-orbit operations. The project’s past and current experience with the instrument developer have been invaluable in determining the path forward to ensure instrument health and safety. The Government assessed performance of the mission and the effectiveness of other service providers in terms of risk to meeting requirements and minimizing costs. There are no sources other than LASP that have the heritage, expertise, and facilities required to operate and provide data processing and anomaly resolution for the life of TSIS-1.

9. FAR 6.303-2(b)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

None.

10. FAR 6.303-2(b)(10) – A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed an interest in writing in the acquisition:

As stated above in Section 6, in accordance with the requirements of FAR Subpart 5.2, a notice of NASA GSFC’s intent to award this sole-source procurement was synopsized on the

Sam.gov website on March 16, 2022. The synopsis notified all interested sources that this requirement will be issued on a sole-source basis and provided them an opportunity to submit their interest and capabilities to the Contracting Officer within 15 days of the synopsis publication. Notice closed on March 30, 2022 and NASA did not receive any responses from interested parties by this date.

11. FAR 6.303-2(b)(11) – A statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

The Agency will continue to examine the market in the future for alternative solutions or new sources before executing any subsequent acquisitions for the same requirements.

Rev.:01/2021

Date: 2022.04.0112:20:00 -04'00'

Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-1 (TSIS-1) Mission Operations and Data Processing

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

SIGNATURE PAGE

I certify that the facts presented in this justification are accurate and complete.

Eric M. Moyer Technical Representative

I hereby certify that the above justification is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Colin R. Bornmann Contracting Officer

CONCURRENCES

Mary V. Stevens Procurement Officer (Acting)

Raymond Rubilotta Competition Advocate

APPROVAL:

Mary V. Stevens Head of Contracting Activity (Acting)