Nress III RFP 80HQTR26R0002

NASA Headquarters is seeking a contractor to provide comprehensive professional support services, information technology support, and related services for the NASA Research and Education Support Services (NRESS) III program, which supports the agency's peer review lifecycle across multiple mission directorates. The contractor will manage the complete solicitation and peer review process, including research announcement planning, proposal receipt and management through the NSPIRES web-based system, peer review panel logistics and operations, reviewer recruitment and conflict-of-interest management, and post-award documentation and reporting. Key contract requirements include maintaining NSPIRES system availability at 95% uptime with 3-second web response times, delivering proposal summaries within three to five working days of submission deadlines, releasing Principal Investigator packages within three working days of NASA selection announcements, and ensuring compliance with NIST security standards and federal grants management regulations. The evaluation will be based on Mission Suitability (technical and management approaches weighted at 800 points combined, plus 200 points for IT requirements analysis), Past Performance, and Cost factors, with cost being significantly less important than the combined Mission Suitability and Past Performance factors. The proposal submission deadline is February 24, 2026 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time, with a contract effective date anticipated for December 1, 2026.

This is a competitive 8(a) set-aside Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with an estimated award value ranging from a minimum of $2 million to a maximum of $365 million over the five-year base ordering period, plus an optional six-month extension. The incumbent contractor is Arctic Slope Technical Services, Inc., which has performed similar NRESS II services. The contract includes a 60-day phase-in period to be awarded as a separate firm-fixed-price purchase order beginning October 1, 2026. Services will be performed offsite at the contractor's facilities or rented facilities as required, with panel meetings held throughout the country as needed, and the primary place of performance is Washington, DC 20546. The Government Pricing Model specifies approximately 20 non-management direct labor categories with varying hours across the contract years, ranging from administrative specialists and financial analysts to support scientists and information systems security officers, with total direct labor hours allocated for different staffing needs throughout the contract period.