Accelerating Supervisor Capabilities, Effectiveness, and Development (A. S. C. E. N. D) Cohort Development Program

NASA's Shared Services Center is soliciting a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for the design and delivery of the A.S.C.E.N.D. (Accelerating Supervisor Capabilities, Effectiveness, and Development) Cohort Development Program, a six-month, part-time leadership development initiative for mid-career supervisors with 5-10 years of supervisory experience. The contractor must demonstrate expertise in learning and development, game theory-based instructional design, human-centered design frameworks, assessment administration, and science of wellbeing integration. The program must align with OPM Executive Core Qualifications, NASA Administrator's Leadership Expectations, and NASA Supervisor Core Competencies, with content emphasizing inclusive leadership practices and real-world supervisory applications. Award will be made to the lowest-price technically acceptable (LPTA) offeror based on comparative evaluation under FAR Part 13. Technical and contractual questions were due by April 27, 2026, with proposals due by April 30, 2026, at 12 p.m. CT to Sara Jusino-Terry at SARA.A.JUSINO-TERRY@NASA.GOV.

This procurement is designated as a small business set-aside with NAICS code 611430 (Professional and Management Development Training). The contractor will deliver three distinct cohorts of up to 50 participants each over a period extending through December 2028, with the first cohort launching in Summer 2026 and subsequent cohorts approximately six months apart. The program combines two 3-day in-person instructional modules and four virtual sessions per cohort, with in-person sessions held at one of nine specified NASA Centers (Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters, Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, or Stennis Space Center). The contract is structured on a fixed-price, milestone-based payment system with each of the three cohorts representing one-third of the total contract value, with milestone payments ranging from 10% to 20% per completed phase. All instructional materials must comply with Section 508 accessibility standards, contractor personnel must be U.S. citizens with valid passports or REAL ID, and all contractor travel costs must be included in the total proposed price.