Research Report on China's Space Program

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

January 24th, 2011

 

PERIOD OF PROPOSAL SUBMISSION ENDS:

5:30 PM, February 9th, 2011

 

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (hereafter “the Commission”) invites submission of proposals to provide a one-time unclassified report on the development of the national space program of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and the potential impacts on future U.S. economic and national security.

ABOUT THE COMMISSION.  The Commission was established by Congress in 2000 to monitor and report to Congress on the economic and national security dimensions of the United States’ trade and economic ties with the PRC. Further details about the Commission are available on its website at: www.uscc.gov .

The Commission solicits this research pursuant to its Congressional mandate (contained in 22 U.S.C. 7002), which states that “The Commission… shall investigate and report exclusively on…

“ECONOMIC TRANSFERS.—The qualitative and quantitative nature of the transfer of United States production activities to the People’s Republic of China, including the relocation of high technology, manufacturing, and research and development facilities, the impact of such transfers on United States national security, the adequacy of United States export control laws, and the effect of such transfers on United States economic security and employment.

…

“REGIONAL ECONOMIC AND SECURITY IMPACTS.—The triangular economic and security relationship among the United States, Taipei, and the People’s Republic of China (including the military modernization and force deployments of the People’s Republic of China aimed at Taipei)…”

ABOUT PROPOSALS.  The Commission solicits proposals from contractors capable of providing a one-time unclassified report on the development of China’s national space program, and the potential impacts on future U.S. economic and national security.

Key issues and questions to be addressed by the report are:

1. 
   
2. Identify and assess the major motivating factors behind the PRC government’s investments in the space program. Is it motivated primarily by military concerns? Commercial interests? National pride? Or some combination of these or other factors? 
   
3. Explicate the relationships between civilian government agencies and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in administering the space program. Assess which branches of the PLA have the greatest involvement with the space program, and describe their roles and contributions. Also, to the extent possible, identify and assess the political lines of authority that govern the space program – i.e., which agencies perform which roles, and who is ultimately in charge of the program?
   
   
4. Provide a comprehensive overview of the primary institutions involved in supporting the Chinese space program, in terms of research and development, manufacturing, and operations. Provide as well an overview of the facilities used for commercial and military space launches, and provide an assessment regarding the types of launches they could support (i.e., polar, low-earth-orbit, manned, reconnaissance, etc.).
   
5. Identify the major Chinese companies, business entities, and research institutions – both state-owned, and private – that are involved in China's military and civil space program, and describe the roles that they play in supporting the program. Identify as well the Chinese government and quasi-official think tanks, policy development organizations, and research institutions that develop and provide analysis and policy support to the PRC’s space program.
   
6. Identify the major platform development projects within the space program (i.e., developmental rockets, space capsules, a potential space shuttle, etc.), and provide an assessment both of the level of progress in these programs, as well as the prospects for aspirational and/or follow-on space platforms. 
   
7. Provide a comprehensive overview of China’s major missile/rocketry programs, as well of as potential future developmental missile programs.  Assess the roles and impacts of these programs in both the commercial realm (satellite launch support services, etc.) and the military realm (development of more advanced long-range offensive missile systems, etc.).
   
8. Provide a comprehensive overview of China’s major satellite programs, as well as of potential future developmental satellite programs. Identify the roles of these satellite constellations, and assess their likely future impacts in both the commercial realm (communications, navigation, etc.) and the military realm (C4ISR[*] support to developmental weapons systems, etc.).
   
9. Provide an assessment, based on the best available open source information, of China’s programs for conducting anti-satellite, anti-C4ISR warfare against enemy space systems. Assess the potential threat these systems might pose to U.S. military operations in the Western Pacific region.
   
10. Examine the identifiable linkages, if any, between China’s national-level science programs, its five-year economic development plans, and the national space program. Also identify, insofar as information is available, the industrial policy supports (industrial subsidies, etc.) offered by the government to entities in the space industry.
    
11. Identify the major foreign companies that support the development of China's civil and military space programs. Assess the role of foreign technology transfer in the development of China’s space industry. Identify major joint ventures, and other cooperative production and research and development activities, between Chinese entities and foreign companies that may have benefitted technology development in China’s space sector. Explicate the foreign technologies most sought for acquisition by organizations in the space program, and describe the impacts of export control regulations (U.S., E.U., and Japanese) on the ability of Chinese entities to acquire and/or develop these items.
    
12. Provide an overview of international cooperative and exchange programs with the PRC that support its space program, and identify all U.S. government cooperative efforts with the PRC on space-related initiatives. This should include, but would not be limited to, an explication and assessment of any and all decisions and actions between the United States and China related to implementation of a November 2009 agreement pertaining to manned space flight programs.[†] Provide analysis and an assessment of both the benefits and potential risks to the United States of U.S. cooperation with China on manned space flight initiatives.
    

Additional Requirements of the Commission:

1. 
   
2. Prior to the award of any contract, the contractor must be registered in the federal Central Contractor Registry (CCR).
   
3. Once a contractor has been selected for this project by the Commission and a contract signed, public notice of this will be made on the Commission’s website.
   
4. The Commission’s goal is to have a report prepared for review in a timely fashion.  In ordinary circumstances, once a contractor has been selected by the Commission and a contract signed, a draft of the report must be submitted to the Commission for review no later than 90 days from the date of contract confirmation. The Commission will then endeavor to provide comments and requests for adjustments within 30 days; subsequently, the final report must be submitted within 30 days of formal receipt of the Commission’s comments.  The Commission recognizes that, under certain circumstances, a contractor may wish to have more time to prepare the first draft of the report under the contract.  The contractor, in their initial submission, should stipulate the time frame for submissions of the initial review draft.  It is to be understood, however, that time is of the essence in completing research contracts for the Commission.
   
5. As work on the report progresses, the Commission’s Research Coordinator shall act as a representative of the Commission in monitoring the progress, quality, and responsiveness of the report to the major issues of concern identified in the RFP. The Research Coordinator shall, on request to the contractor, be entitled to informal briefings on the status of the research work and to readings of the draft in progress.
   
6. The contract shall be subject to termination if the Commission deems that the work is of unsatisfactory quality.
   
7. At the Commission’s discretion, the report procured via this Request for Proposal may be posted on the Commission’s website.
   
8. Each organization or individual responding to this request must warrant that it/he/she will perform this work solely for the Commission, and that the resulting report will not be shared with other parties without the prior written consent of the Commission.
   
9. The Commission expects contractors to identify all personnel working on the contract, and that there not be any delegation of responsibilities to other parties without prior written approval of the Commission.
   
10. After completion of the report, the Commission staff, in consultation with the Contractor, will prepare a short summary of the research for posting on the Commission’s web site and other media. The Commission staff shall consult with the contractor in preparing said document.
    
11. At the discretion of the Commission, the contractor will be expected to participate in activities relating to the dissemination of a final report. This could include, but not necessarily be limited to, briefing the content of the research to Commissioners and Commission staff, appearance as witnesses before hearings held by the Commission, and briefing the contents of the research to staff members of committees of the U.S. Congress. Briefing requests will be reasonable and will be subject to mutual agreement.
    

Primary Selection Criteria:

1. 
   
2. The Commission will determine which organization or individual responding to this request will be awarded the contract based on a comprehensive “best value” analysis of the proposals received, to include costs, technical value, and ability to complete the work satisfactorily and on time.
   
3. The primary weighting criterion in selection shall be the assessed qualifications and ability of an organization or individual to address the fundamental research points enunciated above (“key issues and questions to be addressed by the report”).
   
4. The cost and amount of time necessary to complete the report will also be considered as criteria in the selection process.
   

Proposal submissions should include:

1.       A statement of the applicant’s relevant qualifications to satisfy the terms of this request for proposals (RFP), to include curricula vitae for personnel intended for work on the project;

2.   Identification of the principal researchers who will be responsible for the preparation of the report.   It is understood that the designation of the researchers is a critical element of the proposal, and any changes regarding which individuals will be involved in the report’s preparation must be approved by the Commission in advance and in writing.

3.    A description of the research methodology the applicant proposes to employ.  In describing methodology, the submission should provide detailed descriptions of the sources and methods that will be used to research the report’s topic and the extent to which Chinese language sources, if any, and other primary materials will be used;

4.       An estimate of the time the applicant will need to complete the required work;

5.    The price the applicant will charge to the Commission to complete the work set forth in this RFP.   

Firms and individuals wishing to submit a proposal in response to this Request for Proposal must ensure that the response arrives at the following location by 5:30 PM on February 9th, 2011 or it will not be accepted or considered. 

Electronic submissions are acceptable.

Proposals, as well as any other correspondence related to this matter, should be directed to: 

John Dotson

Research Coordinator

U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission

Hall of the States, Suite 602

444 North Capitol Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20001

phone:  202-624-1482

e-mail: jdotson@uscc.gov                    

 

 

 

[*]Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

[†] In the course of a state visit to China, on Nov. 17, 2009 President Barak Obama signed an agreement with PRC President Hu Jintao, stating that the “United States and China look forward to expanding discussions on space science cooperation and starting a dialogue on human space flight and space exploration, based on the principles of transparency, reciprocity and mutual benefit.” See: Office of the White House Press Secretary, “U.S.-China Joint Statement,” press release dated Nov. 17, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/us-china-joint-statement.