AST Safety Engineering Support

1.  Introduction/Purpose

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) requires safety engineering support in the evaluation of applications for commercial launch and reentry licenses, commercial launch and reentry site licenses, permitted operations, safety approvals, and amateur rocket activities (under CFR Title 14, part 101). AST also requires support for regulatory development, training, tool development, and research on advanced modeling concepts and computational tools.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of risk is a core element of the AST decision-making process. Understanding and modeling the possible outcomes associated with launch and reentry operations enables AST to make decisions regarding acceptable operational and mission approaches that affect public safety within the regulatory framework.

This support therefore requires significant knowledge of, and, where requested, expertise in, quantitative and qualitative safety analysis of launch and reentry, to include explosive safety, debris risk, toxic risk, distance focusing overpressure risk, hazard areas determination, maximum probable loss determination, flight safety systems, software safety, and system safety. This support also requires significant knowledge of, and, where requested, expertise in, space launch and reentry vehicle operations, current launch and reentry vehicle systems, launch and reentry range operations, and public safety issues associated with launch and reentry site operations, as implemented in accordance with U.S. Commercial Space Transportation regulations.  See the attached Draft Statement of Work/Specification document for more information.

The period of performance is anticipated to include a one (1) year base period and four (4) one-year option periods for a total of up to five (5) years. 

The purpose of this market survey is to engage the industry, identify potential sources, obtain feedback, and to help the FAA develop acquisition strategy. 

2.  Incumbent Contractor (if applicable)

Information of the current incumbent contractor is as follows:

Name: ARCTOS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, LLC

City and State: BEAVERCREEK, OH

Contract Number: 693KA9-23-D-00007

3.  Nature of Competition

The  acquisition strategy for the procurement has not been determined at this time; however, either an unrestricted competition or a set-aside will be chosen depending on the responses to the market survey.

4.  Standard Language

State that –

1. This is not a Screening Information Request or Request for Proposals of any kind;
2. The FAA is not seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals;
3. The FAA will not pay for any information received or costs incurred  in preparing the response to the market survey; and
4. Any costs associated with the market survey submittal is solely at the interested vendor’s expense

The FAA has the option of conducting one-on-one communications as deemed appropriate without the obligation to hold communications with all respondents.

Respondent participation in any informational session is not a promise of future business with the FAA, or a commitment to award a contract.

5. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code

The anticipated NAICS code for the procurement is 541690: Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services with a size standard of $19.0 Million.

6.  Submittal Requirements for Market Survey

To participate in this market survey, interested entities must complete and submit the provided Combined Market Survey Response document.

Under the Technical Capability Summary section, interested entities must provide evidence of the extent of their capability to fulfill the requirements in the Draft Statement of Work/Specification document under C.2.1 Contract/Program Management; C.2.2 Operational Safety Support; C.2.3 Research and Development.

Interested entities must also complete the Questions and Answers (Q&As) and Business Declaration sections of the document.

Total length of the competed document must not exceed 20 pages with 12 size font and existing margins.  Generic statements, unsupported claims, advertisement materials are not acceptable.

7.  Delivery of Submittals

All responses to this market survey must be submitted by 2:00pm (Eastern Time) on October 7,  2024.  Submissions received after this time and date will be considered late and may not be reviewed. All submittals, including attachments, should be submitted in electronic format (email) to Jasmine Au at Jasmine.Au@faa.gov. Please include the Market Survey title in the e-mail submission. No telephone calls will be accepted.  There is no question and answer period for this Market Survey.

8.  Attachments

(a) Draft Statement of Work/Specification

(b) Combined Market Survey Response