RFP Cover Letter - 80GSFC26R0028 SMBA.pdf

Rev.: 09/2025

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD 20771

March 31, 2026

TO: All Potential Offerors

SUBJECT: Request for Proposal (RFP), Solicitation No. 80GSFC26R0028, for the Sounder for Microwave-Based Applications Solicitation

You are invited to submit a proposal in response to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center’s (GSFC) Sounder for Microwave-Based Applications (SMBA) solicitation. The principal purpose of this requirement is to design, develop, and support the SMBA instruments under the Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) program.

NASA will conduct this acquisition as a full and open competition. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334511, Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing, with a small business size standard of 1,350 employees.

This competitive acquisition will result in the following contract structure/type:

Contract Line Item Number (CLIN)

Contract Type Description

0001 Cost Plus Fixed Fee with Schedule Incentive for Flight Model (FM) 1

Non-Recurring Engineering, Engineering Development Program, FM1 Production through Launch + 6 Months, FM 1-3 Parts

0002 Firm Fixed Price FM2 and FM3 Production through Bench

Acceptance Test at the Spacecraft Vendor Facility

0003 Time and Material Task Orders for: Special Studies, Post- Commissioning Support (FM1), Post-Bench Acceptance Test at the Spacecraft Vendor Facility Support (Remaining FMs)

The anticipated contract award date is November 5, 2026, with a November 5, 2026 contract effective date. The contract will be performed primarily offsite at the Contractor’s facilities.

Potential offerors should pay close attention to all solicitation instructions; however, the following areas are summarized to assist in proposal development. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and the solicitation terms and conditions and provisions in sections L and M take precedence:

1. Option Removal: The Government removed the Option for FM 4 and FM 5

2. Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul: The Government updated many FAR and NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) clauses and provisions in response to the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul.

3. Requirements Documents Updates: The Government updated many of the requirements documents to implement vendor feedback and shift towards non- Government processes and standards.

4. Funding Profile: The Offeror’s Cost/Price Volume and associated Exhibits shall not exceed the following profile: GFY27 – 10%, GFY28 – 20%, and GFY29 – 20%, with percentages calculated against the total proposed cost/price.

5. Time of Delivery Incentive: The Government added a $2,000,000 incentive for Flight

Model 1 for the following event: Successful Pre-Ship Review as determined by the Government on or before the Delivery Date in Contract Clause 52.211-90.

6. Acceptance Events and Transition to Time and Material Task Order Mechanism:

Acceptance will occur at the following events:

a. FM1 – Post-Commissioning or Launch + 6 months

b. Remaining FMs: Post-Bench Acceptance Test at the Spacecraft Vendor Facility

The transition to the Time and Material Task Order mechanism will occur at the same point as the Acceptance Events described above. All work performed prior to Acceptance will be completed under the core requirements and not under Time and Material Task Orders.

7. Delivery and Launch Dates: The Government updated the Delivery and Launch

Readiness Dates in the contract.

8. Mission Suitability Volume and Cost/Price Volume Instructions: The Government made significant updates to the Mission Suitability and Cost/Price Volume instructions.

9. Government Furnished Property: The Government will make available specific Government Furnished Property (GFP) for offsite use at the Contractor’s facility as described in the DRFP.

10. Organizational Conflict of Interest: NASA has determined that this acquisition may give rise to a potential organizational conflict of interest (OCI). Offerors should refer to the contract: Section I, clause 1852.237-72 ACCESS TO SENSITIVE INFORMATION;

Section L, provision NOTICE OF POTENTIAL ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST; and Section L, provision PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTOR

RESPONSIBILITY AND ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS.

11. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Transparency Disclosure (if applicable): The planned use of any AI system being acquired is not likely to include high-impact use cases, as defined in OMB M-25-21, Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust. The documentation required and other requirements to enable NASA to complete the required AI Impact Assessment is included in the Contract Attachment H.

12. Past Performance: The Government updated the Prime Offeror size relevancy to $90,000,000.

Be advised, in accordance with provision GSFC 52.215-231 PAST PERFORMANCE VOLUME offerors need to encourage their references to submit their Past Performance Questionnaires directly to the Contracting Officer prior to proposal due date.

13. Below is a list of the Source Selection Authority (SSA) and voting members along with their associated NASA GSFC organizational codes, for the Source Evaluation Board (SEB). The names provided are for informational purposes only and other than the Contracting Officer, Bruce Tsai, these individuals shall not be contacted regarding this acquisition. The Government may change personnel associated with this acquisition at its discretion.

SSA

Cathleen Richardson, Code 400

Voting Members

Michael Scott (SEB Chair), Code 471 Matthew Morrow, Code 472

Chris Anders, Code 593 Oscar Cheatom, Code 373 Jordan Gerth, Code 417 Negar Ehsan, Code 555 Risha George, Code 426

Edward Kim, Code 617

Contracting Officer Bruce Tsai, Code 171

14. Offerors are required to have a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code that matches the corporate address submitted with its proposal.

Offerors are encouraged to refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provision 52.215-1, INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS–COMPETITIVE ACQUISITION, in particular paragraph (f)(4) which discusses the Government’s right to award a contract without negotiations.

In order to control and protect sensitive data owned by the Government and its Contractors, NASA policy required all acquisition-related documents be released in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) with the exception of the Cost Exhibits. Accordingly, the Offeror’s Cost/Price Volume proposal shall include completed Cost/Price Volume exhibits in Microsoft Office Excel format with working cell formulas.

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

NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate- Listing.pdf

This RFP does not commit NASA GSFC to pay any proposal preparation costs, nor does it obligate NASA GSFC to procure or contract for these services. This request is not an authorization to proceed and does not authorize payment for any charges incurred by the offeror for performing any of the work called for in this solicitation.

Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation shall be due no later than June 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST. Proposals for this solicitation are required to be submitted through NASA’s Enterprise File Sharing and Sync Box (EFSS Box), a FedRAMP Moderate certified platform. Potential offerors, especially those that have not previously submitted a proposal utilizing NASA’s EFSS Box, are encouraged to review the solicitation instruction entitled “Electronic Submission of Proposals - Proposal Marking and Delivery Through NASA’s EFSS Box” which provides instructions related to the submission of proposal via EFSS Box. Offerors are encouraged to check with their corporate IT staff to determine if there are firewall restrictions that would need to be addressed prior to the submission of proposal files through NASA’s EFSS Box.

A “Blackout Notice” has been issued to NASA personnel. All inquiries/communications pertaining to this acquisition shall be directed only to the Contracting Officer listed below.

All questions regarding this RFP should be submitted in writing, electronically to Bruce Tsai, Contracting Officer, at Bruce.B.Tsai@nasa.gov on or before April 15, 2026. Offerors are encouraged to submit questions as soon as possible for consideration.

Thank you for your support. We look forward to receiving your proposal.

Bruce Tsai Contracting Officer