SPOC On-Ramp Source Selection Decision APL and Firefly.pdf

CUI//SP-SSEL

SOURCE SELECTION STATEMENT

for

SPACECRAFT PROCESSING OPERATIONS CONTRACT (SPOC)

On-Ramp 80KSC022R0020 Rev A.

On July 20, 2026, as the designated Source Selection Authority (SSA) for the Spacecraft Processing Operations Contract (SPOC) acquisition, I met with members of the evaluation Team to independently review its evaluation of proposals received in response to the SPOC solicitation. Relevant portions of the evaluation and the rationale for my decision on selection of the successful offerors are set forth in this Source Selection Statement.

PROCUREMENT HISTORY

The principal purpose of the SPOC is to procure facilities and services for spacecraft/launch vehicle organizations to conduct processing and integration activities in preparation for mating the spacecraft with the launch vehicle at facilities near launch sites. SPOC Contractor facilities are located near either Kennedy Space Center (KSC)/Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) or Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB), or both.

On February 23, 2022, the original Sources Sought Synopsis was issued that sought information to determine industry interest and capability, assist the Agency in developing the acquisition strategy, and facilitate consideration of a potential small business set-aside. This industry input was considered in the original SPOC solicitation. The resultant solicitation included Clause 2.22, On-Ramp Insertion as follows:

The purpose of this clause is to create an opportunity for qualified new, emerging spacecraft processing facility providers and incumbent spacecraft processing facility providers to introduce its services not available at the time of the award of the initial contract. The intent of the On-Ramp is to foster competition for future requirements for spacecraft processing services.

In accordance with this clause, the original solicitation (as revised) shall remain open in accordance with Section 2.11, Ordering Period. The decision to request proposals under this clause will be solely at NASA’s discretion and will only occur after the action has been synopsized. When requested (synopsized), new facilities or new service providers will be allowed to submit proposals that may result in contract award(s)…

Accordingly, NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) issued Request for Proposals 80KSC022R0020 REV A on May 11, 2026, seeking proposals from established and emerging spacecraft processing facility providers. This action was taken in response to the critical need for facilities, particularly those capable of supporting nuclear mission processing requirements.

Currently, SPOC lacks providers that possess or are willing to operate facilities suitable for nuclear mission processing. LSP maintains an inhouse payload processing capability through the Government owned Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at KSC. While the PHSF provides essential support for both nuclear and nonnuclear missions, the growing cadence of upcoming launches has made sole reliance on this single facility a critical vulnerability. The absence of adequate payload processing service facilities would place mission readiness and launch schedules at significant risk, creating critical vulnerabilities that could disrupt planned operations. As demand continues to increase, depending on one Government facility for all compliant PPF services introduces a single point of failure that NASA must proactively address to ensure uninterrupted spacecraft integration, testing, and encapsulation support.

The original deadline for proposals was June 10, 2026. An extension request was approved on June 7, 2026, moving the deadline to June 17, 2026. A subsequent extension was granted on June 15, 2026, establishing July 1, 2026, as the new deadline. All offerors were informed of the extension requests and had the opportunity to submit proposals and schedule oral presentations at their discretion. The decision was to allow offerors the flexibility to align submissions with their company schedules, while ensuring that there was no risk to LSP. The SPOC solicitation allows for awarding multiple contracts based solely on a provider’s facility capabilities, without competition between providers. This strategy facilitates faster awards to eligible facilities, which is particularly important given LSP’s urgent need to acquire more providers and increase competition.

On June 10, 2026, one proposal was received:

L3Harris Technologies, Inc.

On June 17, 2026, one proposal was received:

Blue Origin, LLC

On July 01, 2026, three proposals were received:

All Points Logistic (APL), LLC Firefly Aerospace, Inc.

SpaceLaunch, LLC

On July 14, 2026, oral presentation was held for All Points Logistics, LLC.

On July 16, 2026, oral presentation was held for Firefly Aerospace, Inc.

The Agency received all five proposals on time. All offerors have fully completed the solicitation process and have been evaluated; Blue Origin and L3Harris have received awards, and the two remaining successful offerors, APL and Firefly Aerospace, are now ready for award as set forth in this document.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES

This acquisition was conducted as a commercial, competitive acquisition in accordance with FAR 12.203, Procedures for Solicitation, Evaluation, and Award, in conjunction with FAR Part 15.3, Source Selection, and NFS Part 1815.3, Source Selection. The RFP advised offerors that the Government would award one or more contracts to the responsible Offeror(s) whose proposal, conforming to the solicitation, provided fair and reasonable not-to-exceed prices, and was found acceptable for all non-price factors. The RFP defined two evaluation factors:

Technical/Management Capability and Price.

For the Technical/Management Capability factor, the RFP advised offerors that the

For the Price factor, analysis of each offeror’s proposed prices used one or more of the following techniques: (a) comparison of each other’s proposed prices, (b) comparison to historical prices, and (c) comparison to commercial prices. All offerors’ proposed prices were found reasonable in accordance with FAR 15.404-1(b).

Based on the results of the initial evaluation and with my concurrence, the Contracting Officer determined that award could be made on initial proposals, without the need for discussions or proposal revisions.

DECISION

During the discussion, I was fully briefed on the procurement process and was given detailed information concerning the proposals evaluated. I questioned members of the evaluation team about the material presented and carefully considered the detailed information presented by the members. I also recognize that the RFP states that:

Award will be made to offerors whose price is determined reasonable, are not “unacceptable” in the Technical/Management Capability, and are otherwise eligible to receive award… and that the Government “…may elect to award a single task order contract or to award multiple task order contracts . . . to two or more sources under this solicitation.”

The selection rationale that follows is based on an assessment of proposals against each of the source selection factors.

I find the evaluation of each of the offerors’ proposals to be comprehensive, thorough, and well documented. The resultant Technical/Management Capability factor ratings of Acceptable for the two above offerors, as captured by the evaluation Team, accurately represent the merits of each proposal and are ultimately reflective of the overall acceptability of the services and facilities offered. My review of these evaluations leads me to adopt the above ratings as my own. In my independent judgement, both APL and Firefly clearly demonstrated under the Technical/Management Capability factor that they are capable of successfully performing SPOC requirements.

The price evaluation considered whether the proposed prices are reasonable for the services offered in response to the RFP requirements for spacecraft processing services. The evaluation team members explained to me in detail their analysis of the proposals, including an assessment of the proposed facility services, and a comparison of the proposed prices to historical and commercial pricelists. Accordingly, under the Price factor, I find that both proposals’ NTE prices are fair and reasonable.

In consideration of the foregoing, I conclude that, consistent with the RFP, the below Offerors are eligible for award. Accordingly, after considering the selection criteria and input from the evaluation team, and exercising my independent judgment, I hereby select the following offerors for award of an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract in response to the SPOC

RFP:

All Points Logistics, LLC Firefly Aerospace, INC.

Norman R. Wolfinger Date Source Selection Authority Chief, Commercial Space Procurement Office