NextSTEP-2 Appendix K: Commercial Destination Development in Low Earth Orbit Free Flyer

Government intends to purchase data deliverables and insight to support development of the Commercial Elements, and to purchase demonstration of the capabilities of a Commercial Destination Free Flyer (FF).

Posting the Q&A from the CDFF 1-on-1 meetings held on 11-7-19 and the CDFF Industry Day held on 11-8-19, as well as questions received regarding the currently posted CDFF DRFP document.

12-10-19:  Posting updated Q&A regarding the currently posted CDFF DRFP document.

1-7-20:  Posting updated Q&A

1-13-20:  Posting updated Q&A

1-8-20:  Posting updated Q&A

Government intends to purchase data deliverables and insight to support development of the Commercial Elements, and to purchase demonstration of the capabilities of a Commercial Destination Free Flyer (FF).

Posting the Q&A from the CDFF 1-on-1 meetings held on 11-7-19 and the CDFF Industry Day held on 11-8-19, as well as questions received regarding the currently posted CDFF DRFP document.

12-10-19:  Posting updated Q&A regarding the currently posted CDFF DRFP document.

1-7-20:  Posting updated Q&A

1-8-20:  Posting updated Q&A

Government intends to purchase data deliverables and insight to support development of the Commercial Elements, and to purchase demonstration of the capabilities of a Commercial Destination Free Flyer (FF).

Posting the Q&A from the CDFF 1-on-1 meetings held on 11-7-19 and the CDFF Industry Day held on 11-8-19, as well as questions received regarding the currently posted CDFF DRFP document.

12-10-19:  Posting updated Q&A regarding the currently posted CDFF DRFP document.

1-7-20:  Posting updated Q&A

Government intends to purchase data deliverables and insight to support development of the Commercial Elements, and to purchase demonstration of the capabilities of a Commercial Destination Free Flyer (FF).

Posting the Q&A from the CDFF 1-on-1 meetings held on 11-7-19 and the CDFF Industry Day held on 11-8-19, as well as questions received regarding the currently posted CDFF DRFP document.

12-10-19:  Posting updated Q&A regarding the currently posted CDFF DRFP document.

Government intends to purchase data deliverables and insight to support development of the Commercial Elements, and to purchase demonstration of the capabilities of a Commercial Destination Free Flyer (FF).

Posting the Q&A from the CDFF 1-on-1 meetings held on 11-7-19 and the CDFF Industry Day held on 11-8-19, as well as questions received regarding the currently posted CDFF DRFP dcoument.

Government intends to purchase data deliverables and insight to support development of the Commercial Elements, and to purchase demonstration of the capabilities of a Commercial Destination Free Flyer (FF).

This is a modification to the synopsis entitled NextSTEP-2 Appendix K: Commercial Destination Development in Low Earth Orbit Free Flyer which was posted on July 16, 2019. You are notified that the following changes are made:
NASA is posting information and instructions for the Commercial Development Free Flyer (CDFF) Industry Day Meeting and One-on-One Meetings.

Site visits to KSC are being offered to interested offerors of the Free Flyer procurement beginning 10-15-19 up until final RFP release (which is TBD) but no earlier than 11-22-19.
To schedule a site visit, email Randy Gordon at randy.d.gordon@nasa.gov and Tracy Gill at tracy.r.gill@nasa.gov to coordinate day and time.  Please also cc the Contracting Officer, J.R. Carpentier at john.r.carpentier@nasa.gov on the email request.

Site visits to KSC are being offered to interested offerors of the Free Flyer procurement from 10-15-19 thru 10-18-19.
To schedule a site visit, email Randy Gordon at randy.d.gordon@nasa.gov and Tracy Gill at tracy.r.gill@nasa.gov to coordinate day and time.  Please also cc the Contracting Officer, J.R. Carpentier at john.r.carpentier@nasa.gov on the email request.

This is a modification to the synopsis entitled NextSTEP-2 Appendix K: Commercial Destination Development in Low Earth Orbit Free Flyer which was posted on July 16, 2019. You are notified that the following changes are made:

-Change to Free Flyer procurement tentative schedule

Offerors may provide comments and questions regarding this draft solicitation to the Contracting Officer, J.R. Carpentier at john.r.carpentier@nasa.gov by no later than 4 PM CST, 11-15-19.

The Commercial Development Free Flyer procurement tentative schedule:

Industry Day: 11-8-19
Draft Solicitation comments due: 11-15-19
Final Solicitation release: TBD
Proposals due: TBD

Please continue to monitor fbo.gov for updates to the Free Flyer solicitation.

This is a modification to the synopsis entitled NextSTEP-2 Appendix K: Commercial Destination Development in Low Earth Orbit Free Flyer which was posted on July 16, 2019. You are notified that the following changes are made:

-Post Draft Solicitation & Attachments

Offerors may provide comments and questions regarding this draft solicitation to the Contracting Officer, J.R. Carpentier at john.r.carpentier@nasa.gov by no later than 4 PM CST, 10-30-19.

The Commercial Development Free Flyer procurement tentative schedule:

Industry Day:  TBD
Draft Solicitation comments due:  10-30-19
Final Solicitation release:  ~11-18-19
Proposals due:  ~1-23-20

Please continue to monitor fbo.gov for updates to the Free Flyer solicitation.

NASA intends to release Appendix K to the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) entitled "Appendix K: Commercial Destination Development in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Free Flyer." This appendix will request proposals from United States (U.S.) commercial entities to enter into a public-private partnership to develop and demonstrate commercial destination technologies and markets in LEO. The primary objectives of Appendix K to the NextSTEP-2 BAA are (1) to successfully develop commercial markets through demonstration of products and services in LEO in habitable commercial destinations and (2) to provide a plan to establish a long-term, sustainable, commercial, human spaceflight enterprise in LEO where NASA is one of many customers.
NASA anticipates awarding multiple single-award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts from Appendix K with multiple phases executed by Task Orders. Through task orders, the government intends to purchase data deliverables and insight to support demonstration of the Commercial Destinations in LEO and demonstration of commercial capabilities. Following a portfolio-based decision on the future capabilities potentially available to NASA at both the ISS port and free-flying commercial destinations, future task orders may be awarded. The awardee(s) will complete Design, Development, Test, and Evaluation (DDT&E) and deliver the Commercial Destination(s) to LEO in order to conduct a long-duration demonstration of commercial products and services ultimately leading to a self-sustaining Commercial Destination(s) to serve both NASA and non-NASA needs. NASA currently envisions any hardware developed for this action will be fully owned and operated by the developer through completion of an industry partner/NASA spaceflight demonstration. The detailed requirements and additional information on the overall acquisition strategy will be contained in the forthcoming Appendix K solicitation.
An important part of NASA's strategy is to stimulate the commercial space industry while leveraging those same commercial capabilities through partnerships and future contracts to deliver mission capabilities. A key component of the partnership model is that it provides an opportunity for NASA and industry to partner to develop capabilities that meet NASA human space exploration objectives to support more extensive human space flight missions while also supporting industry commercialization plans for expanding the frontiers of future opportunities in space.

It is anticipated that NASA will schedule an Industry Forum approximately two weeks following the release of the draft of the Appendix K solicitation.

The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable.

The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html.

The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be available over the Internet at www.fbo.gov.

All questions related to the synopsis must be submitted in writing via email. Telephone questions will not be accepted. Any questions on this synopsis should be submitted to the contracting officer at Johnson Space Center, John R. Carpentier at john.r.carpentier@nasa.gov.

Submission information, participant eligibility, additional topic information and specific evaluation criteria for the solicitation will be identified in Appendix K when it is released.

The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be available over the Internet at www.fbo.gov. It is an interested party's responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation.

This synopsis also includes the following Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Request for Information (RFI):

NASA/JSC is requesting information from industry regarding potential organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) arising from Appendix K. The nature of work anticipated under Appendix K may create the potential for OCI as described in FAR Subpart 9.5. Each interested party should review FAR Subpart 9.5 in light of NASA's anticipation of OCI issues and consider carefully the extent to which an OCI may arise before making the decision to compete for the Appendix K contract. The NASA Guide on Organizational Conflicts of Interest can be reviewed on the following website at: https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/OCIGuide.pdf. Please reference this document for additional information about NASA's policies with respect to OCI issues.

Specifically, NASA anticipates that the effort under Appendix K will include the following types of tasks, which could lead to potential OCI issues. This list is not all inclusive.

• Access to Government Sensitive or Privacy Act Information such as pre-decisional information associated with on-going or future NASA projects that may result in future competitive procurements;

• Access to a Contractor, or Space Act Agreement Participant's proprietary information where said Contractor, and Space Act Agreement Participant is not the Appendix K Contractor;

These types of tasks could lead to the following categories of OCI issues depending on the composition of the team selected for Appendix K contract:

• Unequal access to nonpublic information of the type that may provide the contractor an unfair competitive advantage in a later competition for a Government procurement contract;

• Potentially creating biased ground rules by providing technical assessments and advice to NASA personnel on specific technologies and methodologies that may affect NASA's preparation of a specification of work, other contractual requirements, or NASA's evaluation of proposals in a future competitive procurement.

Interested parties are requested to address the following questions:

1. What type(s) of OCI issues would your company or potential team identify, if any, should you choose to propose on the Appendix K contract?

2. What strategies would you anticipate proposing to mitigate the OCI issues that you identified (if any)? Please provide strategy details, previous examples/experience with other contracts with NASA or other agencies, etc.

3. Are there any other types of potential OCI issues with the proposed Appendix K contract that were not identified in this RFI?

4. Does your company foresee any OCI issues associated with Appendix K that would cause you to decide not to propose on the potential RFP?

NASA will review any responses received regarding potential OCI and each interested party's proposed OCI mitigation strategy. NASA will respond to each company who submits a mitigation strategy. NASA's response will simply be an attempt to examine circumstances, which might lead to or eliminate an OCI and is not intended to serve as a confirmation that, in fact, all potential OCIs have been identified, an OCI may ultimately exist, or that an interested party is capable of successfully eliminating or mitigating an identified OCI. Furthermore, NASA's response in no way alters or interprets FAR 9.5 as it applies to a final statement of work or a final proposal submission, should an interested party elect to submit a proposal to an RFP issued for Appendix K. Subsequent to the initial OCI submission and NASA's response, the Government will not consider further information as it relates to this RFI.

All OCI RFI responses shall be submitted via e-mail to John R. Carpentier, Contracting Officer, at john.r.carpentier@nasa.gov no later than 4:00 p.m. CST on August 7. Please reference NNH16ZCQ001K-Appendix K-CDFF in your response.