Space Data Association (SDA) Membership

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice, and is being conducted pursuant to FAR Part 12 and Subpart 13.5. The synopsis/solicitation constitutes a Request for Quotation (RFQ) and incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular No. 2005-74. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES the only solicitation; QUOTES ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 519190, which has a corresponding size standard of $27.5 M. The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NESDIS/ NSOF E/SPO13 has a requirement to procure a Space Data Association (SDA) Membership. BASIS OF AWARD Award will be made to the responsive vendor that provides the Best Value in meeting the 1) technical requirements in the attached Statement of Need (SON), 2) Price. 1. Introduction/Background The Office of Satellite and Product Operations (OSPO) is responsible for the management and operations of the Satellite Operation Control Center (SOCC) and the Environmental Satellite Product Center (ESPC). The SOCC manages and directs the operation of NOAA's satellites and the acquisition of remotely sensed data. The Office has operational responsibility for the Satellite Operations Control Center (SOCC) at Suitland, MD and Command and Data Acquisition (CDA) facilities at Wallops, VA and Fairbanks, AK to command and control the satellites, to track the satellites, and to acquire their data. "Space situational awareness" is required to reduce the risk of NOAA assets colliding with other spacecraft or orbital debris. Space situational awareness is accomplished by accurately determining and predicting the locations of all of the NOAA assets in space and working with other institutions and agencies to compare these predictions with the locations of other objects in space. When a close approach is identified and confirmed, appropriate action must be taken by one of the two objects in conflict in order to avoid a collision, satellite failure and resulting profound impact on domestic and international commerce from gaps in meteorological data. For essential space situational awareness, the GOES Engineering Branch incorporated daily monitoring of conjunction assessment reports from two different sources beginning in 2008. NOAA works with the US Air Force Space Command at the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) for screening of the NOAA space assets. NOAA also evaluates information from a service provided by the Space Data Association (SDA) at the Association's Space Data Center (SDC) for conjunction assessment screenings. Reviewing the screenings from multiple sources gives NOAA a more complete overall space situational awareness. JSpOC performs its own tracking and orbit determination and provides a good overall knowledge of everything in space. The SDA gathers owner-provided high fidelity orbit predictions that incorporate upcoming maneuver plans, for the routine screenings. The NOAA GOES spacecraft currently has known neighbors at 4 of the 5 orbit locations. All of these identified neighbors are members of the SDA and routinely provide their orbit predictions to the Association. These predictions are screened against the NOAA-provided GOES predicts and accurate approach distances are reported back to the NOAA Engineering Branch and management. 2. Scope of Work This procurement is for the renewal of NOAA's membership in the Space Data Association, which will abide by the attached Requirements Statement. This is a sole source procurement. Please see the attached sole source justification. 3. Product Specifications One year SDA Membership Subscription renewal from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015. 4. Price Consideration One price for all items. 5. Security Requirements, if any Please see attached DOC IT Security in Acquisitions Checklist and Requirements Statement. 6. Market Research performed NOAA Engineering experienced and actively involved in the professional community of satellite engineers. In fact, in 2009 it sponsored a symposium at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland concerning modern engineering practices in satellite operations. As a consequence of involvement in the specialty, NOAA is well aware of useful services offered by the community. For conjunction analysis (loosely, collision avoidance), three representative services were considered and compared. As a government agency, NOAA is entitled to free use of the services of the Air Force Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC). The JSpOC service is comprehensive in its inclusion of orbital information of both spacecraft and space debris. However, the JSpOC determination of orbital information through real-time tracking has real limitations, both in terms of its accuracy-it can misidentify satellites-and in terms of providing the future orbit information needed for careful analysis and planning of spacecraft position maintenance needed for collision avoidance. Another option is the Collision Avoidance Risk Analysis (CARA) service provided by NASA. CARA meets the needs of NOAA in both its comprehensiveness (due in part to its cooperation with JSpOC) and its ability to provide the accurate, future orbit information needed for maneuver planning. NASA charges $60,000 per satellite per year for its CARA service. NOAA's GOES constellation currently has four satellites, and its POES and DMSP constellations consist of 10 satellites for an aggregate recurring cost approaching $840,000. The recommended Satellite Data Association (SDA) service complements the JSpOC service to meet NOAA's requirements well. It is comprehensive: all space neighbors of the GOES satellites are participating members of SDA, thereby mitigating the greatest collision risk in the geostationary orbit. Additionally, SDA's service includes the important capability for accurately predicting future satellite positions, enabling advance planning of collision avoidance maneuvers. As described above, known conjunction analysis capability ranges in price from no cost for the accuracy-limited JSpOC service to the $60,000 per satellite per year NASA CARA alternative. While having no technical limitations, minimal practical costs for subscription to CARA could range from $240,000 recurring annually for GOES-only protection to as much as $840,000 recurring annually. In marked distinction, the $10,000 SDA subscription, a technically sound option, provides services for the protection of all NOAA space assets. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular No. 2005-74-. The provisions and clauses may be downloaded at http://www.arnet.gov/far. The following provisions and clauses shall apply to this solicitation: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial, The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following clauses apply: FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certificates - Commercial Item, FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items, FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items. FAR 52.222-21, Prohibition of segregated facilities, 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - Central Contract Registration, 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - Other than Central Contractor Registration; 52.232-39, Submission of Electronic Funds Transfer Information with Offer, 52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965, 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires; The following provisions and clauses shall apply to this solicitation: CAR clauses may be downloaded at http://www.ecfr.gov. CAR 1352.201-70, Contracting Officer's Authority; CAR 1352.209-73, Compliance with the Laws; CAR 1352.209-74, Organizational Conflict of Interest; CAR 1352.246-70, Place of Acceptance. The Government reserves the right to make one award or no award at all as a result of this solicitation. Please submit quotes to [email protected] and reference purchase request number NEEK1300-14-00559 in the quotation. PLEASE QUOTE ALL AND ONLY WHAT IS LISTED IN THE ATTACHED SPECS.Doc. (ii) The solicitation number and a statement that the solicitation is issued as an invitation to bid (IFB), request for quotation (RFQ) or request for proposal (RFP). (iii) A statement that the solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular _____. (iv) A notice regarding any set-aside and the associated NAICS code and small business size standard. Also include a statement regarding the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program, if applicable. (v) A list of contract line item number(s) and items, quantities and units of measure, (including option(s), if applicable). (vi) Description of requirements for the items to be acquired. (vii) Date(s) and place(s) of delivery and acceptance and FOB point. (viii) A statement that the provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial, applies to this acquisition and a statement regarding any addenda to the provision. (ix) A statement regarding the applicability of the provision at 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items, if used, and the specific evaluation criteria to be included in paragraph (a) of that provision. If this provision is not used, describe the evaluation procedures to be used. (x) A statement advising offerors to include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer. (xi) A statement that the clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and a statement regarding any addenda to the clause. (xii) A statement that the clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and a statement regarding which, if any, of the additional FAR clauses cited in the clause are applicable to the acquisition. (xiii) A statement regarding any additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions (such as contract financing arrangements or warranty requirements) determined by the contracting officer to be necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices. (xiv) A statement regarding the Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned rating, if applicable. (xv) The date, time and place offers are due. (xvi) The name and telephone number of the individual to contact for information regarding the solicitation. (3) Allow response time for receipt of offers as follows: (i) Because the synopsis and solicitation are contained in a single document, it is not necessary to publicize a separate synopsis 15 days before the issuance of the solicitation. (ii) When using the combined synopsis and solicitation, contracting officers must establish a response time in accordance with 5.203(b) (but see 5.203(h)). (4) Publicize amendments to solicitations in the same manner as the initial synopsis and solicitation. CAR Terms and Conditions CAR 1352.201-70 Contracting Officer's Authority. Contracting Officer's Authority. The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in any of the requirements of this contract, and, notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer. In the event the contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price. CAR 1352.209-73 Compliance with the laws. Insert the clause 1352.209-73, Compliance with the Laws, in all solicitations and contracts. As prescribed in 48 CFR 1309.507-2(c), insert the following clause: Compliance With the Laws (APR 2010) The contractor shall comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations which deal with or relate to performance in accord with the terms of the contract. CAR 1352.209-74 Organizational conflict of interest. As prescribed in 48 CFR 1309.507-2(d), insert the following clause: Organizational Conflict of Interest (APR 2010) (a) Purpose. The purpose of this clause is to ensure that the contractor and its subcontractors: (1) Are not biased because of their financial, contractual, organizational, or other interests which relate to the work under this contract, and (2) Do not obtain any unfair competitive advantage over other parties by virtue of their performance of this contract. (b) Scope. The restrictions described herein shall apply to performance or participation by the contractor, its parents, affiliates, divisions and subsidiaries, and successors in interest (hereinafter collectively referred to as "contractor") in the activities covered by this clause as a prime contractor, subcontractor, co-sponsor, joint venturer, consultant, or in any similar capacity. For the purpose of this clause, affiliation occurs when a business concern is controlled by or has the power to control another or when a third party has the power to control both. (c) Warrant and Disclosure. The warrant and disclosure requirements of this paragraph apply with full force to both the contractor and all subcontractors. The contractor warrants that, to the best of the contractor's knowledge and belief, there are no relevant facts or circumstances which would give rise to an organizational conflict of interest, as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5, and that the contractor has disclosed all relevant information regarding any actual or potential conflict. The contractor agrees it shall make an immediate and full disclosure, in writing, to the Contracting Officer of any potential or actual organizational conflict of interest or the existence of any facts that may cause a reasonably prudent person to question the contractor's impartiality because of the appearance or existence of bias or an unfair competitive advantage. Such disclosure shall include a description of the actions the contractor has taken or proposes to take in order to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate any resulting conflict of interest. (d) Remedies. The Contracting Officer may terminate this contract for convenience, in whole or in part, if the Contracting Officer deems such termination necessary to avoid, neutralize or mitigate an actual or apparent organizational conflict of interest. If the contractor fails to disclose facts pertaining to the existence of a potential or actual organizational conflict of interest or misrepresents relevant information to the Contracting Officer, the Government may terminate the contract for default, suspend or debar the contractor from Government contracting, or pursue such other remedies as may be permitted by law or this contract. (e) Subcontracts. The contractor shall include a clause substantially similar to this clause, including paragraphs (f) and (g), in any subcontract or consultant agreement at any tier expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The terms "contract," "contractor," and "Contracting Officer" shall be appropriately modified to preserve the Government's rights. (f) Prime Contractor Responsibilities. The contractor shall obtain from its subcontractors or consultants the disclosure required in FAR Part 9.507-1, and shall determine in writing whether the interests disclosed present an actual, or significant potential for, an organizational conflict of interest. The contractor shall identify and avoid, neutralize, or mitigate any subcontractor organizational conflict prior to award of the contract to the satisfaction of the Contracting Officer. If the subcontractor's organizational conflict cannot be avoided, neutralized, or mitigated, the contractor must obtain the written approval of the Contracting Officer prior to entering into the subcontract. If the contractor becomes aware of a subcontractor's potential or actual organizational conflict of interest after contract award, the contractor agrees that the Contractor may be required to eliminate the subcontractor from its team, at the contractor's own risk. (g) Waiver. The parties recognize that this clause has potential effects which will survive the performance of this contract and that it is impossible to foresee each circumstance to which it might be applied in the future. Accordingly, the contractor may at any time seek a waiver from the Head of the Contracting Activity by submitting such waiver request to the Contracting Officer, including a full written description of the requested waiver and the reasons in support thereof. CAR 1352.246-70 Place of acceptance Insert a clause substantially similar to 1352.246-70, Place of Acceptance, in contracts and solicitations to indicate where the acceptance of supplies and/or services will take place. As prescribed in 1346.503, insert the following clause: Place of Acceptance (APR 2010) (a) The Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative will accept supplies and services to be provided under this contract. (b) The place of acceptance will be: various see CLINs for location. Quotations must be submitted to the attention of Jay Parsick by e-mail to [email protected]. Quotes are due by 11:00 am Eastern Daylight Time on August 18, 2014. The name and telephone number of the individual to contact for information regarding this solicitation are Jay Parsick and (301) 628-1409.