Space Test and Engineering Contract (STEC) Bridge

Added: Feb 23, 2015 5:36 pm

NOTICE OF CONTRACT ACTION (NOCA)

23 Feb 2015

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACT

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS.

This is a notice of intent to award a sole source contract under the statutory authority of 10 USC 2304(c) (1), as set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii)(B), only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized and award to any other source would result in unacceptable delays and duplication of costs in fulfilling the agency's requirements.

The Government has conducted extensive market research leading up to development of its acquisition strategy. As a result, the Government found that the Space Test and Engineering 2009 Contract (STEC09) incumbent contractor is the only source that can provide the immediate services for the current critical mission. As the current STEC09 contract ordering period has expired, the Government requires a short nine-month bridge contract to cover the gap for a follow-on contract. This action will give the Government enough time to award the follow on Space Test and Engineering 2014 Contract (STEC14).

This sole source contract will allow the incumbent, LinQuest Corporation, to provide continuing satellite operations support at SMC/ADG's Research Development Test and Evaluation Support Complex (RSC) at Kirtland AFB, NM. The existing STEC09 contract will expire 13 May 2015, there is continuing need to maintain the capability to conduct RSC mission operations to (1) support commanding, telemetry and payload processing for five on-orbit satellites; (2) planning and pre-launch preparation for seven upcoming satellite missions, and (3) provide operations expertise for ground system modernization and automation. The current contractor possesses the required experience, as demonstrated on the STEC09 contract: commanding, telemetry and payload support for satellite operations; mission design and pre-launch readiness; and operations support for major upgrades to the Multi-Mission Satellite Operations Center (MMSOC) ground architecture. Additional work in support of automating operations for the Operationally Responsive Space 1 (ORS-1) spacecraft supported by the 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron (3SES) at Schriever AFB, CO is also included in this contract.

The scope of this bridge effort is the same as scope defined by the STEC09 contract. The effort includes (1) on-orbit operations support (e.g., mission planning, contact execution, data analysis and distribution, (2) orbit analysis and anomaly response) for 5 on-orbit satellites; (3) mission design and pre-launch readiness for seven upcoming missions; ground system automation for two on-orbit missions; and (4) operations expertise for upgrades to the MMSOC ground system architecture. This sole source action will result in a contract with pricing requirements to include cost plus fixed fee (CPFF) line items, with an estimated contract value of $9.0M. The sole purpose of this contract is to ensure these critical mission requirements continue uninterrupted.

While this notice of intent is for informational purposes only, and is not a request for competitive proposals, interested parties (to include small and small disadvantaged businesses) may identify their interest and technical capability, and submit information for consideration by the agency. Please keep the responses to 15 one-sided pages or less, with 1-inch margins on all sides and in Times New Roman 12-point font. The applicable NAICS code is 541712 with a corresponding size standard of 1,000 employees. Classification code is ‘R" Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services--R425, Engineering and Technical Services. This announcement constitutes the only notice for this bridge effort.

The incumbent is the only contractor who currently can provide RSC operations support given the unique and highly skilled nature of the effort. At this time, there are no other contractors who are capable of providing these services without incurring an unacceptable delay to on-going operations. As stated previously, competition is expected for the follow-on STEC14 effort. The STEC14 source selection is currently in progress. The Government will post notices regarding that acquisition to FedBizOpps.