NEXT Draft Program Solicitation.pdf

SDA-PS-22-04

National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA) Experimental Testbed (NExT):

Program Solicitation

1 July 2022

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for public release: distribution unlimited.

1 Introduction

The Space Development Agency (SDA) is issuing this Other Transaction Authority (OT) solicitation for a prototyping effort to augment the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA) Tranche 1 constellation with experimentation capable space vehicles. The National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA) Experimental Testbed (NExT) leverages the low latency data transfer and beyond line-of-sight command and control infrastructure established by the Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) program to field and connect additional space vehicles with different mission payload configurations. This solicitation is for development, manufacture, deployment, and operations of the NExT space vehicles and mission-enabling ground systems.

1.1 Motivation

SDA is releasing the NExT solicitation to demonstrate warfighter utility of emerging mission partner payloads prior to potential incorporation in future Tranches.

1.2 Program Approach

This solicitation seeks OT proposals under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 4022 for U.S. space industry builder-operator teams that will partner with SDA to jointly develop and operate NExT as part of the NDSA. The Government is purchasing a set of at least ten (10) NExT SVs equipped with Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) -sourced Experimental payloads. The Government reserves the right to purchase a small number of additional SVs and supporting products and services under this OT in the future, in response to changing mission needs. NExT will integrate the group of partner payloads, through SDA, provided to the Contractor as GFE. The Contractor will launch the integrated NExT SVs and support flight experiments conducted by the mission partners and SDA.

Note that in order for SDA to make an OT award to Offerors, at least one of the following conditions must be met:

A. There is at least one nontraditional defense contractor or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent in the prototype project.

B. All significant participants in the transaction other than the Federal Government are small businesses (including small businesses participating in a program described under Section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. § 638)) or nontraditional defense contractors.

C. At least one-third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds provided by sources other than the Federal Government.

For more information on Other Transactions please see:

https://aaf.dau.edu/aaf/contracting-cone/ot/

1.3 Program Plan and Schedule

The NExT constellation will be launched as commercial rideshares. SDA desires the first launch to occur no later than (NLT) 30 March 2024, with at least two subsequent launches desired to follow in October 2024 and March 2025. Offerors are expected to plan their program in accordance https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=10-USC-1875391109-791309680&term_occur=999&term_src=title:10:subtitle:A:part:IV:chapter:139:section:2371b https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=10-USC-2032561260-548934770&term_occur=999&term_src=title:10:subtitle:A:part:IV:chapter:139:section:2371b https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=10-USC-308593337-791309681&term_occur=999&term_src=title:10:subtitle:A:part:IV:chapter:139:section:2371b https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=10-USC-308593337-791309681&term_occur=999&term_src=title:10:subtitle:A:part:IV:chapter:139:section:2371b https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=10-USC-308593337-791309681&term_occur=999&term_src=title:10:subtitle:A:part:IV:chapter:139:section:2371b https://www.law.cornell.edu/topn/small_business_act https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/638 https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=10-USC-1875391109-791309680&term_occur=999&term_src=title:10:subtitle:A:part:IV:chapter:139:section:2371b https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=10-USC-2032561260-548934770&term_occur=999&term_src=title:10:subtitle:A:part:IV:chapter:139:section:2371b https://aaf.dau.edu/aaf/contracting-cone/ot/ with the milestone dates and deliverables specified in Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document of this solicitation.

1.4 Tranche 1 and NExT Overview

SDA endeavors to strengthen deterrence and warfighting capabilities in space by delivering a robust, responsive, and resilient NDSA. The T1 constellation will be interconnected with Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISLs) that have significantly increased performance over existing radio frequency (RF) crosslinks. LEO orbits in conjunction with OISLs will reduce path loss issues but more importantly offer much lower latencies with higher throughput which are deemed critical to prosecute time sensitive targets in today’s near-peer competition wartime environment. The Transport Layer (TL) will operate over Ka band RF up and downlinks, optical up and downlinks, as well as in-plane and cross plane optical links, and be dynamically networked for simpler hand-offs, greater bandwidth, and fault tolerance. NExT will leverage T1TL services to enable mission data transfer to SDA and Offeror ground systems as part of missions described herein.

The NExT constellation will consist of at least 10 SVs that share some bus requirements with T1TL SVs. For example, NExT SVs will include optical communications terminals (OCTs) to support T1TL-enabled mission data links. NExT constellation parameters are listed below.

Table 1 – Nominal NEXT Demonstration Constellation

Parameter Value Number of Planes 3 (TBR) NEXT SVs per Plane Two (2) planes with four (4) SVs, one with two (2) SVs Altitude 550-1000 km (TBR) Inclination 40-81 deg In-Plane Mean Anomaly Separation (TBR) Optical Links per SV 2 Mission Data Downlink Ka Navigation Civil GPS

The NExT Ground Segment includes a Space Operation Center expected to be located at the Contractor factory which will control satellite operations throughout the duration of the contract.

Launch support, Early Operations, and Checkout of the NExT SVs will be performed from the Contractor’s facilities with Government coordination and oversight.

The system description and requirements can be found in Attachment 1 – Statement of Work (SOW) and Technical Requirements Document of this solicitation. Offerors shall propose a solution that meets the requirements as laid out in that attachment.

2 NExT Solicitation

Within this solicitation, the following definitions are used:

• Prime: Offerors

• Major Subsystems: Elements of the SV and ground system design that have a significant impact on functionality. The following are examples of major sub-systems:

o Optical Communications Terminals o Command, Telemetry, and Experiment Data Networking and Routing o Encryption o Ka Mission Payload o Primary and Backup TT&C System

• Major Teammate: A member of the Prime's development team with a different CAGE code from the prime Offeror, that either accounts for no less than five (5) percent of the proposed cost and/or develops one or more of the following subsystems or capabilities:

o Optical Communications Terminals o Space Vehicle Bus o System Integration o Operations and Sustainment Personnel

If the following subsystems are not procured as commercial off-the-shelf systems (COTS) and/or require significant modifications, then the developer of the subsystem shall be considered a major teammate:

o Command, Telemetry, and Experiment Data Networking and Routing o Encryption o Ka Mission Payload o Backup TT&C System Overview

2.1 Proposal Preparation Instructions

Offerors shall submit their NExT proposal via six (6) volumes. Specific volume contents and associated page limits are detailed below.

• Volume I – Governance shall contain a detailed description of Offerors’ proposed program management, systems engineering and engineering approaches, processes, and tools for executing the program on schedule and within the price proposed. This volume shall also contain résumés for key personnel that will perform the NExT program and a complete listing of data rights asserted by Offerors and all of their subcontractors.

• Volume II – Technical shall contain a detailed description of Offerors’ proposed technical solution to accomplish the requirements defined in Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document.

• Volume III – Schedule shall contain a full Integrated Master Schedule (IMS). This volume shall also provide: an analysis of schedule risks; identification of key milestones; entrance criteria, key accomplishments and exit criteria for significant reviews and activities; and a clear presentation and analysis of the critical path from contract award through mission data delivery. Offerors shall propose contingency plans to reduce scope to mitigate negative schedule variance. Any dependencies anticipated by Offerors based on any other SDA program shall be clearly identified and risk mitigation activities – if required – clearly explained. If the Offeror is currently providing support to any other SDA program – as either prime contractor or supplier – the IMS shall clearly integrate ongoing SDA work and the proposed NExT effort, demonstrating that the Offeror can and will be able to complete all current and/or proposed efforts without adversely affecting any individual program.

• Volume IV – Price and Rationale shall contain Offerors’ Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and associated detail. Any cost savings anticipated based on prior work shall be identified.

• Volume V – Experience and Past Performance should contain at least one (1) and may contain up to four (4) recent (within the last five (5) years), relevant examples of on-time, on-cost/price delivery of SV payload integration, delivery, launch and operation. Offerors may include at least one (1) and up to two (2) past performance examples for each major teammate. The totality of citations within the volume shall clearly show that the Offeror’s team has experience developing, launching and operating space vehicles with multiple payloads from multiple sources.

• Volume VI – Draft Other Transaction (OT) Agreement The font in normal text for all volumes shall be no smaller than Times New Roman 12 pt., while text in figures and tables shall be no smaller than Times New Roman 10 pt. Line spacing shall not be less than 1.5. A table shall consist of at least two columns in every row. Tables that are deemed attempts to circumvent these text formatting restrictions will be removed from the proposal and not evaluated. All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) shall be no smaller than one

(1) inch. Single-line spacing shall be used for all text in paragraphs, bulleted lists, and tables. All pdf pages, in all volumes, formatted larger than 8.5 inches X 11 inches shall be counted as two (2) pages. Line numbers shall be applied to all text sections in all volumes and shall be set within the left margin of the page so as not to reduce the usable size of the page. Title pages and tables of contents, tables of figures, and tables of tables will not count against the page counts of the respective volumes and will not be evaluated for content. Note: Nonconforming proposals may be rejected without review.

Proposals shall not include UNSOLICITED “options” for multiple solutions and/or additional work not specifically requested elsewhere in this solicitation. Any such options proposed will not be evaluated and any such proposal may be deemed nonconforming. The Government expects to make a single award but reserves the right to make no awards, a partial award, or multiple awards.

2.1.1 Volume I - Governance

Volume I shall not exceed ten (10) pages of content exclusive of title pages and tables of contents, figures, and/or tables. Any pages in excess of the first ten (10) pages of content, other than those noted below as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from Offerors’ proposal and not evaluated.

2.1.1.1 Executive Summary

In no more than a single page, Offerors shall present their proposed team construct and expected contributions by each major teammate. The Executive Summary should also identify the program management structure and highlight key program risks and associated mitigation approaches.

2.1.1.2 Program Management

Offerors shall detail the people, processes and tools planned to manage and conduct the program to a successful completion on time and within the agreed upon price. Offerors shall discuss their program, personnel, cost, and risk management approaches, including any processes and tools.

Offerors shall include a list of the primary risks on the project, the planned mitigations, and the approach for managing risks throughout the system life cycle. Schedule management shall be discussed in Volume III; however, Offerors are free to cross-reference Volumes I and III if doing so will be of benefit in explaining the value and quality of their approach. Offerors should describe processes to staff the program with qualified personnel, identify and manage critical vendors and subcontractors, and control costs within an FFP environment. Offerors shall document planned communications with the Government, detailing the purpose, entrance criteria, key accomplishments anticipated, exit criteria, and documentation methodologies for each meeting, review, or key management milestone within the program.

Offerors shall plan the program using the program reviews identified in Section 2.1 of Attachment 1 - Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document and in accordance with other dates specified throughout Attachment 1. If Offerors believe that an alternate review structure (e.g., combining certain reviews) is more appropriate and meets the needs of the Government for insight into the design and understanding of challenges and risks at appropriate stages of the development, Offerors are free to propose it and the rationale behind their belief. For each review combined, omitted, or added, Offerors shall clearly delineate during what remaining review(s) the information traditionally provided shall be discussed. Table 3 identifies mandatory milestone payment events.

If Offerors omit these reviews, then they shall clearly identify an equivalent event that will be used in lieu of the mandatory review for milestone payments as specified.

2.1.1.2.1 Subcontractor and Supply Chain Management

Offerors shall address their subcontractor and supply chain management methodologies. Offerors should describe how they will minimize the effect on the program from fluctuations in supply chain availability and subcontractor deliveries.

Offerors should include a table showing the delivery schedule of critical parts. Offerors should propose a contingency plan in response to supply shortages for all critical parts to include pricing, supply, and delivery information.

2.1.1.2.2 Subcontractor Workload

Where applicable, Offerors shall present a strategy for managing delivery performance of major subcontractors who will be supporting multiple SDA contracts concurrently in addition to NExT.

2.1.1.2.3 Nontraditional Defense Contractors (NDC) / Nonprofit Research Institution If applicable, Offerors shall identify which of their subcontractors constitutes an NDC or a nonprofit research institution in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 3014. Offerors shall identify the extent of participation of NDC(s) and/or nonprofit research institution(s) to Offerors’ NExT program.

2.1.1.3 Systems Engineering

Offerors shall detail the Systems Engineering processes and methods that will be used to execute the NExT program. Offerors shall clearly identify their approach to systems engineering and detail the use of any processes and tools that will be used on the program. The Government expects that Offerors will utilize Systems Engineering best practices.

2.1.1.4 Mission Assurance

Offerors shall describe the mission assurance approach and Offeror’s quality systems. Offerors should include a discussion of relevant standards and certifications. In particular, the Government is interested in how Offerors plans to tailor – if applicable – existing mission assurance processes and tools to meet the requirements of a set of experimental SVs designed for a relatively short on-orbit lifetime.

2.1.1.5 Organizational Conflict of Interest

Offerors shall clearly identify any real or perceived organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) for themselves or any of their teammates that would arise from their participation in the NExT program. If Offerors believe that they and their teammates have no organizational conflicts of interest, then they should explicitly state this position.

If Offerors believe that an OCI exists or may exist upon award, then Offerors shall include an OCI mitigation plan as an appendix to this volume. The OCI mitigation plan will not be included in the Volume I page limit.

2.1.1.6 Personnel Résumés

Personnel résumés shall not exceed one (1) page each. The personnel résumés shall be included as attachments to this volume and will not be included in the Volume I page limit.

Offerors shall identify the key personnel planned to be assigned to this program from Offerors and major teammates as appropriate. Résumés should be in bullet format and include:

• Summary statement highlighting experience and expertise

• Current role with Offerors or teammate to include current assignments and programs

• Planned role within the NExT program

• Education (academic and military, if applicable)

• Military, Government, or Commercial space-related experience (if any)

• Anticipated percentage of time to be assigned to this program

• Active clearance or eligibility for up to Top Secret

• Signed statement agreeing to support the NExT program if awarded

Proposed staff members not currently employed by Offerors may be included as appropriate. In those cases, Offerors shall include signed contingent offer letters. These letters should be signed by both Offeror’s and proposed staff member and should state the willingness of the proposed staff member to join the Offeror in support of the NExT program if awarded.

Key personnel shall include:

From Offeror:

• Program Manager

• Chief Engineer

• Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) Lead

• Payload Integration Lead

• If Offeror is developing any of the major subsystems, the subsystem lead(s)

From each major teammate:

• Program Manager

• Chief Engineer

• If Major Teammate is developing any of the major subsystems, the subsystem lead(s)

2.1.1.7 Technical Data and Computer Software Rights Assertions Offerors shall clearly delineate all limitations on data, hardware, and computer software rights for technical data, hardware, or computer software provided by Offerors and all their teammates, using Attachment 5 of the Draft OT Agreement. It is the Government’s assumption that no hardware, technical data, or computer software will be provided with less than Government Purpose Rights and that the vast majority of information generated will be provided with Unlimited Rights to the Government. Offerors shall clearly identify those elements to be provided with less than Unlimited Rights and identify the rationale for their assertion(s) using the format shown in Attachment 5. Any item related to the performance of this effort and not contained in Attachment 5, shall be delivered upon request to the Government, with no less than Government Purpose Rights. The terms “Unlimited Rights”, “Government Purpose Rights”, “Limited Rights”, and “Restricted Rights” are defined in Volume VI Draft Other Transaction (OT) Agreement.

2.1.2 Volume II - Technical

Volume II shall not exceed twenty-five (25) pages of content exclusive of title pages and tables of contents, figures, and/or tables. Any pages in excess of the first twenty-five (25) pages of content, other than those noted below as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from Offerors’ proposal, and not evaluated. The Government expects that Volume II will be unclassified.

2.1.2.1 Executive Summary

Offerors shall present their proposed solution concept for ten (10) NExT SVs. The Executive Summary shall include an Operational Viewpoint (OV)-1 or equivalent high-level overview of the proposed solution. The graphics shall depict the SVs, their payloads, the means by which they communicate with each other and the ground to include anticipated data rates by spectral band, and the means by which they accomplish or demonstrate mission objectives. Integrated into this graphical representation shall be Offerors’ milestone-driven integrated master schedule for capability delivery, culminating in an in-orbit delivery and performance per SDA’s schedule requirements.

2.1.2.2 Space Vehicle (SV) Overview

The Overview shall summarize the NExT SV system design in terms of the Key Parameter Specification, in addition to Offerors’ supporting design information, including but not limited to:

• SV block diagram

• Delta-V budget

• High-level mass budget

• Power budget with power modes

• Vehicle configuration showing all major components and significant dimensions

• Backup TT&C system design

• Link budgets for mission demonstrations

• Latency budget within the SV for mission demonstrations

This section should also include an overview of the SV Concept of Operations (CONOPS).

A detailed Master Equipment List (MEL) with mass, power, Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL), and Technology Readiness Level (TRL) or other flight heritage shall be included as an Appendix and will not count against the Volume II-page limit. The level of detail required in the MEL is not specified but is expected to decompose to assemblies below the subsystem level.

The power budget should include the duty cycle and current best estimate for each component by power mode, as well as the orbit average power generated in each power mode and enough information to determine the battery depth of discharge.

2.1.2.2.1 NExT Payload Interface

Offerors shall present their overall payload interface, including how their design meets the requirements for mechanical, thermal, electrical, and data interfaces. For each area, Offerors shall demonstrate a clear understanding of their overall design sensitivity to the payload interface and design, including SV attitude control, command and control, and resource management. Proposals should also address any needed test and certification requirements and plans. Plans must include schedule and risk assessments for subject completion. Lastly, Offerors shall detail their trade-space analyses for critical payload interface resources, including power subsystems, mass constraints, and data throughput.

2.1.2.2.2 NExT Mission Payloads

The Offeror shall detail their approach for payload integration to include mission partner and payload provider communications, ICD establishment and risk management. The NExT Offeror will provide daily management of the program, however SDA will provide oversight and adjudication on any issues between the NExT Offeror and payload partner. The NExT Offeror is not responsible for maintaining and enforcing the delivery schedule for the partner payloads. While the Offeror is not responsible for the partner payloads, the Offeror shall develop plans, methods, processes, and procedures to support experiment planning and execution.

2.1.2.2.3 Optical Communication Terminals (OCT)

Offerors shall provide a detailed description of the optical communication terminals (OCTs), including the placement on the SV, individual and total field of regard, and ability to create and maintain space-to-space links with T1TL SVs. Offerors should identify the anticipated power requirements, data rate, bit error rate, and any other parameters considered key by Offerors.

Offerors should provide a link budget demonstrating the closure of the optical links and clearly state any assumptions used in the creation of the link budget. The Government expects that the link budgets will be developed using industry standards for margin (e.g., 3 dB). Offerors shall identify the compliance of their current system with the SDA OCT Standard v3.0, detail any non-compliant components of their design and describe the path to full compliance for those components.

2.1.2.2.4 Ka Mission Payload System

Offerors shall provide a detailed description of Ka-band subsystems. Offerors should identify the number of terminals, frequency of operation, bandwidth, anticipated power requirements, anticipated data rate, bit error rate, and any other parameters key to mission performance. Offerors should identify the antenna configurations, field of regard, and deployment mechanisms for each of the antenna systems. Offerors should provide link budgets demonstrating the closure of required radio frequency (RF) links and clearly state all assumptions used in the creation of the link budget.

The Government expects that the link budgets will be developed using industry standards for margin (e.g., 3 dB). Offerors shall include a description of the space-to-ground communications solution.

2.1.2.2.5 Telemetry, Tracking, and Control (TT&C)

Offerors shall provide a detailed description of the RF communications subsystems used for primary and backup telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C). Offerors should identify the number of terminals, frequency of operation, bandwidth, anticipated power requirements, anticipated data rate, bit error rate, and any other parameters key to mission performance. Offerors should identify the antenna configurations, field of regard, and deployment mechanisms for each of the antenna systems. Offerors should provide link budgets demonstrating the closure of required RF links and clearly state all assumptions used in the creation of the link budget. The Government expects that the link budgets will be developed using industry standards for margin (e.g., 3 dB). Offerors shall include a description of the space-to-ground communications solution.

2.1.2.2.6 Mission Data Transfer

Offerors should indicate how their design supports mission data transfer via T1TL. Offerors should discuss their plans for connecting to T1TL and provide estimates of system performance.

2.1.2.2.7 Navigation

Offerors should briefly describe the proposed implementation of navigation capabilities including a description of the orbit propagator and the trust engine/integrity audit when GPS is untrusted or unavailable.

2.1.2.2.8 Space Vehicle (SV) Bus Design

Offerors shall provide a detailed description of the SV bus including the size, weight, and power available for the payloads. Offerors shall present a discussion of the bus heritage to include:

• Where and how many have flown in their orbits

• Design life and experienced flight life

• Types and frequency of experienced anomalies and their solution(s)

If the proposed bus has not flown, Offerors shall provide the heritage from an existing bus (if applicable) and the changes made to reach the proposed bus design along with the rationale for each proposed change.

For each of the major subsystems (e.g., electrical and power; attitude control; telemetry, tracking and control, propulsion; etc.), Offerors shall provide a detailed description of the subsystem as well as system heritage. Offerors shall discuss specialty engineering (e.g., radiation, electromagnetic interference, contamination control, etc.) issues and approaches as appropriate.

Offerors should discuss the overall fault management approach, including the safe mode implementation.

2.1.2.2.9 Cybersecurity

Offerors should discuss their cyber resilience strategy, including any resiliency plans, trusted boot systems, security guarantees, and measurements and measurement frequencies. Offerors should discuss any novel solutions and trade-offs required to produce a highly resilient space vehicle to minimize cyber risk. Offerors should discuss how they would use the Risk Management Framework (RMF), per DoD Instruction 8510.01, to obtain authorities to operate (ATO) or interim approval to test (IATT) from the Government for their NExT solution. In their proposal, Offerors can provide arguments to add or remove any SV security controls to the Government AO for consideration and approval.

2.1.2.2.10 Encryption

Offerors should describe the proposed implementation of security concerns, such as red-black isolation, encryption, and command authentication. Offerors should describe the encryption systems and technologies used on the SV and how these systems will obtain certification and interoperate with the T1TL SVs, NDSA, and NExT ground systems.

2.1.2.3 Manufacture

Offerors shall present their manufacturing and assembly-line processes, including diagrams and illustrations, captured in digital form, to demonstrate their ability to produce ten (10) high-quality repeatable fabrication of the SVs including:

• Assembly of key parts

• Testing of individual parts and assemblies to ensure they meet the reliability and availability standards associated with the SV

• Assembly and test of SV subsystems

• Integration and test of subsystem hardware, and integration and test of software with the hardware subsystems

2.1.2.3.1 Supply Chain

Offerors should address production capacity to produce ten (10) high quality SVs including supply chain capacity, supply chain security, and production issues for the SV buses and key payloads including, but not limited to OCTs, processors, and network and cryptographic equipment.

2.1.2.4 Test, Demonstration, and Verification

Offerors shall present their hardware and software, ground and orbit-based test and demonstration approach(es). This section should address all aspects of test and demonstration to include modeling, simulation, analysis, emulation, ground, and space-based testing according to the test and demonstration requirements and descriptions provided herein. Offerors should address requirements verification at the component, subsystem, system, vehicle, and constellation levels up to and through environmental tests. Offerors should describe test approaches, methodologies, performance, verification, documentation, and staffing. This section should include sample test artifacts from previous programs, and identification of test platforms and hardware maintained by Offerors. For cases where test activities are expected to be accomplished outside of Offerors’ direct control, Offerors should identify their approach to manage test conduct and the experience level of the organization Offerors plan to use to conduct the test. Of particular interest to SDA are any elements expected to be provided by the Government to facilitate completion of their verification program. Offerors should describe the proposed approach for verification that the proposed SVs are fully capable of providing mission data to the Government, to include via the T1TL.

2.1.2.5 Launch Services Overview

The Offeror will procure launch services to meet the required timeline and orbital diversity needs of the ten (10) NExT SVs, with final delivery of the spacecraft to be completed once they are in their operational orbit. Offerors shall describe their plan to perform analyses necessary to ensure successful integration and launch, whether the launch is dedicated to the NExT mission or conducted as a multi-manifest launch. Offerors shall present their launch approach and deployment/separation systems design(s) for each of the NExT SVs. Offerors shall describe risks related to the launch services procurement, as well as an overview of the expected launch vehicle integration effort and responsibilities. Offerors shall also describe how it will keep the Government informed of progress via technical interchange meetings and its IMS.

2.1.2.6 Ground Segment and Operations

Offerors shall describe how their ground system will provide SV system health and status data to the integrated ground operations management systems for continuous situational awareness and performance monitoring. Offerors shall describe their approach to control the NExT SVs from their Space Operations Center (SOC) including integration of command streams from the Payload Operation Centers (POCs). Offerors shall describe their data collection, storage and archive approach to ensure complete capture of mission, payload and SV archival data in the event forensic analysis is required at a later date.

2.1.2.7 Offerors Mission Operations, Sustainment, and Disposal Offerors shall define the facilities and systems at the vendor-provided facility that will be used to support launch and early operations (LEOPs) and how they will transition to experiment and demonstration operations at the SOC. Offerors shall clearly identify the anticipated locations of ground systems, antennas, and processing facilities utilized. Offerors shall clearly identify the ability of their facilities to support operations at Secret classification and what network connections are currently available. Offerors should provide an overview of the LEOPs plan for orbit raising and SV checkout. Offerors shall describe their on-orbit check-out plan and test flow to demonstrate full capability of their SVs and payloads prior to delivery to the Government and transition to experiments and demonstrations. Offerors shall identify the support that they will provide to the POC during nominal and anomaly operations. Offerors shall describe the disposal plan for each SV and how that plan will reliably dispose of decommissioned SVs.

2.1.2.7.1 Mission Design

Offerors shall provide CONOPs for NExT SVs, including initialization, communication with T1TL, and executing payload missions. Offerors should clearly identify any mission constraints or limitations. Offerors shall describe how they will integrate with the NExT mission partners at mission partner facilities for payload operations.

2.1.2.8 Appendices

The following appendices shall be included as attachments to Volume II and will not count against the Volume II-page count.

2.1.2.8.1 NExT Experiment Support Plan

One or more NExT experimental events which validate the payload capabilities will commence upon completion of the Offerors’ SAR. Offerors should define policies and procedures for supporting one or more of these experiments simultaneously.

2.1.2.8.2 Commercial Data Sheets

Offerors may submit commercial data sheets as a list of up to ten (10) hyperlinks to publicly available downloadable .pdf data sheets on Offerors’ websites or their subcontractor’s websites.

Each downloadable .pdf file shall be no more than two (2) pages, resulting in a cumulative maximum of twenty (20) pages of commercial data sheets. Links will be accessed in the order provided in the proposal and only the first twenty (20) pages will be evaluated. Any pages beyond the twenty (20) page limit will be discarded.

2.1.2.8.3 Offerors Parameter Specification

Offerors shall complete the value column in each worksheet of the 2022.06.03 NExT_Budget_Tables_DRAFT_RFP.xls file in the Bidder’s Library and shall include the completed .xlsx file as an appendix to Volume II. All values in the table shall be provided in the units specified. Upon selection for award and at the discretion of the Government, the proposed values in this table may be included in the final Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document in lieu of the current threshold and objective values specified in Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document. All units are SI units, unless otherwise specified.

2.1.3 Volume III - Integrated Master Schedule

Volume III shall not exceed seven (7) pages of content exclusive of title pages and tables of contents, figures, and/or tables. Any pages in excess of the first seven (7) pages of content. other than those noted below as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from Offerors’ proposal and not evaluated.

2.1.3.1 Integrated Master Schedule (IMS)

The IMS shall include the schedule for Offerors’ NExT solution. Offerors shall clearly indicate the anticipated schedule margin for launch activities, where margin is calculated as the number of calendar days between the date of completion of the final SV for the launch and the corresponding delivery date to the launch site. For all SVs which are not the primary payloads for launch, Offerors shall describe the schedule risk associated with the launch procurement. Offerors shall identify the dates for all major reviews and program milestones and include entrance criteria, key accomplishments, and exit criteria for each milestone. If the milestones proposed correspond to payments anticipated by Offerors, this Volume should so state and link (electronically if possible) to the appropriate section in Volume IV – Price and Rationale so that the justification for the payment appears in Volume III – Integrated Master Schedule and the payment amount, terms, conditions and Government acceptance criteria for payment appears in Volume IV – Price and Rationale.

At least two of the pages shall be a separable, standalone detailed Gantt chart (or similar illustration) clearly presenting Offerors’ milestone-driven integrated master schedule, including key program milestones and critical paths. This chart should include dependencies, assumed Government or major teammate hardware, software, or information deliveries and/or approvals, tests, demonstrations, reviews, and/or any other key activities in Offerors’ proposed program.

Offerors shall clearly delineate the primary critical path within their schedule and any additional critical paths deemed appropriate to justify their ability to deliver the proposed SVs on time and on cost. Offerors shall discuss the critical path analysis used to determine the primary and secondary critical paths. Offerors shall discuss their approach to managing progress against the baseline schedule. Offerors shall include delivery dates of components from all major teammates and shall clearly identify which of these components lie on the critical path.

Offerors may use components without flight heritage. However, they shall identify maturation and risk reduction plans for any space vehicle components that are at a TRL six (6) or less at the time of the proposal. Offerors shall identify the top schedule risks and outline their approach(es) to mitigate the risks and ensure timely delivery. Offerors shall identify which teammate deliveries and which external dependencies produce the most risk to on-time delivery.

Offerors shall deliver their complete IMS in Microsoft Project-compliant native format as well as .pdf format in conjunction with this volume. The complete IMS shall include schedule details down to at least Level 3 of the work breakdown structure (WBS) and details to at least the subassembly level for high-risk areas and to the subsystem level elsewhere. IMS content shall be tailored to address each WBS element’s unique design, development, assembly, integration, and test activities, as applicable.

The delivered IMS files (Microsoft Project and .pdf format) will not count against the Volume III-page limit, however, the Gantt chart is included in the page limit.

2.1.4 Volume IV - Price and Rationale

Volume IV has no page limit.

2.1.4.1 Executive Summary and Pricing Rationale

Offerors shall detail their pricing assumptions and rationale that guided their FFP submission. The Government needs to understand Offerors’ assumptions in building their final price such that any discussions deemed of value can be conducted. Offerors should discuss any constraints on the Government such as time to review and/or approve contractual documentation, constraints on mission partners such as time to receive needed data or information, etc. Where appropriate, Offerors should discuss their use of learning in driving down subsequent SV costs when producing more than a single copy and where such learning has led to cost savings on previous programs.

2.1.4.2 Price Proposal Structure

Offerors’ price proposal shall comply with the guidance in the following sections. Offerors may assume an Authorization to Proceed (ATP) of 1 October 2022.

2.1.4.2.1 Bidding Unit

Offerors shall provide the price for one (1) full unit, where a unit consists of:

• Ten (10) NExT SVs with system-level program management and systems engineering.

• SV to LV integration with launch adapters and deployment mechanisms as required

• All required launch services

• All required ground hardware and software for the SOC

• All required processes, procedures, and documentation to collaborate with payload partners for experiments and demonstrations

• All required ground hardware and software for SV management

• Three (3) years of operations and sustainment inclusive of all required LEOPs activities

• All other efforts necessary to meet the requirements as specified in Attachment 1 –

Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document

2.1.4.2.2 CLIN Structure

The Government anticipates awarding the CLINs as shown in Table 2 - NExT CLIN Structure.

All CLINs shall be included for a compliant proposal. Offerors shall propose milestone payment structures in accordance with the instructions in the following sections. This information will be used by the Government to evaluate the reasonableness and risks associated with the proposed technical solution, schedule, and price.

Table 2 – NExT CLIN Structure

CLIN Description Details Type

1 NExT System Development and Delivery (primary

CLIN)

Design, development, integration, production, and delivery of

1. Space Segment- Ten (10) NExT SVs; includes program level SEIT/PM, LEOPs ending with System Acceptance Review (SAR), and payload integration

2. Ground Segment - All ground hardware and software (including GEPs) for management of SVs, constellation, payload commands integration, experiment and demonstration planning, and data processing

3. Launch Services - Specification, analysis, procurement, LV integration, and launch services and hardware for all NExT SVs and consistent with partner payload requirements

FFP

2 Operations and Sustainment (Base Period)

On-orbit Experiments, Operations, and Maintenance activities for three years, starting from systems acceptance per launch.

FFP

2.1.4.2.3 Milestone Payments

The Government intends to fund this FFP effort via event-based Milestone Payments. Offerors shall propose a Milestone Payment Plan compliant to guidance provided in this section.

Offerors shall propose a milestone payment structure for CLIN 1 partitioned by clearly identified program events with supporting rationale for their selection. For each milestone payment, Offerors shall specify the payment amount, terms, conditions, Government acceptance criteria, and percentage of the total CLIN 1 price. Offerors’ CLIN 1 payment plan shall adhere to mandatory milestones and minimum payments listed in Table 3. Where not specified as mandatory Offerors may add or delete milestones and adjust payment amounts that best reflect progress to their program plans within the fiscal constraints provided in Table 4.

Offerors’ CLIN 1 payment plan should adhere to the payment schedule provided in Table 4.

Table 3 – CLIN 1 Payment Schedule

Government Fiscal Year

Cumulative % of Total CLIN 1 Price

FY23 35%

FY24 75%

FY25 90%

FY26 100%

Offerors shall propose a milestone payment structure for CLINs 1-2 in accordance with the payment percentages indicated in Table 5. Offerors shall enter this information into Draft OT Attachment 2. For each milestone payment, Offerors shall specify the payment amount, terms, conditions, Government acceptance criteria, and percentage of the total CLIN price.

Table 4 – Milestone Payment Percentages, CLINs 1-2

CLIN Tasks Milestone Milestone Payment

CLIN 1

Design Development

AI&T

Completion of SRR 10%

Completion of PDR 5%

Completion of CDR 10%

Completion of TRR 10%

Completion of PSR for SV 1 15%

Deliveries In

Orbit

Completion of SAR for SV 1 5%

Completion of SAR for SV 2 5%

Completion of SAR for SV 3 5%

Completion of SAR for SV 4 5%

Completion of SAR for SV 5 5%

Completion of SAR for SV 6 5%

Completion of SAR for SV 7 5%

Completion of SAR for SV 8 5%

Completion of SAR for SV 9 5%

Completion of SAR for SV 10 5%

CLIN 2 O&S

Completion of FY25 1Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY25 2Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY25 3Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY25 4Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY26 1Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY26 2Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY26 3Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY26 4Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY27 1Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY27 2Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY27 3Q Mission Ops X M$

Completion of FY27 4Q Mission Ops X M$

2.1.4.3 Proposal Pricing Details

Offerors shall provide the total price and elements of price broken down by WBS, milestone payment schedule, and by Government Fiscal Year.

1. Price by WBS task and Government Fiscal Year (GFY) using the template in Table 5. The price shall be provided for items down to Level 3 of the WBS for each GFY.

Table 5 – Template for Pricing of Tasks by WBS and Government Fiscal Year

C

LI

N

W B

S

W B

S El em en t

G

FY

G

To ta l

2. A summary of projected funding requirements by quarter for GFY to enable fiscal and milestone payment planning

3. Price and percentage of price by the prime and major teammates, where the minimum set of major teammates is defined in Section 2.

4. Identification of pricing assumptions that may be incorporated into the resulting award instrument (e.g., use of Government Furnished Property/Facilities/Information, access to Government Subject Matter Experts, etc.) for all members of the team.

2.1.4.3.1 Pricing Data by CLIN

Offerors shall provide a summary of pricing by CLIN in accordance with the template in Table 6 below. The value specified as the Total Price in the last of Table 6 shall represent the total price of the proposal and will be evaluated by the Government for price reasonableness during source selection.

Table 6 – CLIN Pricing Table

CLIN Item Price

CLIN 1

NExT Systems

Price of:

1. Space Segment- Ten (10) NExT SVs; includes program level SEIT/PM, LEOPs ending with System Acceptance Review (SAR), and payload integration

Ground Elements

2. Ground Segment - All ground hardware and software (including GEPs) for management of SVs, constellation, payload commands integration, experiment and demonstration planning, and data processing

Launch Services

3. Launch Services - Specification, analysis, procurement, LV integration, and launch services and hardware for all NExT SVs and consistent with partner payload requirements

CLIN 2

Operations and Sustainment:

Year 1

Price of O&S for first year

Operations and Sustainment:

Year 2

Price of O&S for second year

Operations and Sustainment:

Year 3

Price of O&S for third year

Total Price Total Price: Sum of CLINs 1-2

2.1.4.3.2 Government Furnished Equipment, Information, and Property Offerors shall compile a consolidated list of ALL Government Furnished Equipment, Information, or Property being requested by themselves and ALL team members for ease of Government evaluation. This list shall clearly delineate the item, need by date and the risk associated with non or late delivery on overall program schedule, cost, or technical performance. Offerors may use the list provided by the Government in Attachment 3 – Government Furnished Information (GFI) – Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) List as the starting point for their proposed list of GFx.

The Offeror is responsible for storage, maintenance, accountability, and performance of routine inspection of GFE.

2.1.4.4 Major Teammate Proposals

Offerors are responsible for compiling and providing all major teammate proposals for the primary agreements officer (PAO), where a major teammate is defined in the introduction to this volume.

Teammate proposals should include all Intercompany Work Transfer Agreements (IWTAs) or similar arrangements. All proprietary teammate proposal documentation shall be prepared at the same level of detail as that required of the prime. Any such documentation that cannot be provided with the proposed prime contractor’s proposal, shall be provided to the Government either by the prime contractor or by the teammate organization via DoD SAFE, following the instructions in Section 2.2.1.

Teammate proposals will only be used to determine the price reasonableness of Offerors' proposal. No information included in any teammate proposal will be evaluated for the purpose of satisfying the requirements as stated in Attachment 1 - Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document or meeting the instructions associated with Volumes I, II, III, and V of this solicitation.

2.1.5 Volume V - Experience and Past Performance

The page limits for Volume V depends on the number of past performance citations as stated below. Any pages in excess of this limit, other than those noted below as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from Offerors’ proposal and not evaluated.

2.1.5.1 Executive Summary

Offerors should introduce the current and past performance citations, clearly stating why they have chosen the efforts and how they best prove their ability to perform the proposed work scope. Each citation should provide specific, measurable validation of Offerors’ rationale and document successful current and past performance directly relevant to the current solicitation. The Government expects direct correlation between the current and past performance citations and the résumés submitted in Volume I - Governance. The executive summary shall not exceed two (2) pages.

2.1.5.2 Recent and Relevant Past Performance

Offerors may submit at least one (1) and up to four (4) separate efforts by the prime and at least one (1) and up to two (2) separate efforts for each major teammate.