A -- AERONAUTICAL SPACE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING, C-3, ACQUISITION SUPPORT, AND OPERATIONAL CONVERGENCE

The National Environmental Satellite Data Information Service (NOAA/NESDIS) intends to extend a sole source contract with the Aerospace Corporation for approximately 60 staff per year, effective July 31,2006, for a period of 9 months. The Aerospace Corporation is the single, experienced capable source that is qualified to support NOAA/NESDIS with the required independent engineering analyses. The Aerospace Corporation, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) formed in 1960 by the USAF, in accordance with 10 U.S.C. Sect. 2367, has recently completed a Comprehensive Review that was approved by the Under Secretary of the Air Force for Research and Development reaffirming the Aerospace Corporation's mission to support national security, civil and commercial space programs. The Aerospace personnel, who have supported the NOAA/NESDIS for the past 5 years, have first-hand knowledge of the engineering design of delivery systems and the spacecraft platforms of military and civilian polar-orbiting and geosynchronous spacecraft. The Aerospace Corporation's experience includes the integration of military, civilian and foreign meteorological sensors, the impact of command, control and communications links between the ground control stations and the platforms/systems, and the analysis of satellite instrument data. The NOAA/NESDIS manages NOAA's operational geo-stationary and polar-orbiting environmental satellite programs. The NOAA/NESDIS objective is to provide the spacecraft, launch services, and ground systems necessary to maintain the uninterrupted flow of remotely-sensed environmental data required to promote, protect, and enhance the Nation's economy, security, environment, and quality of life. The Contractor's role in the NOAA/NESDIS Organization is as an independent, objective, non-competitive Corporation whose mission under this contract is to support the program acquisition objectives of the NOAA/NESDIS and related NOAA programs. The Aerospace Corporation will provide non-advocacy assessments of program implementation, design approach, advanced pre-development planning, developmental and operational risks, integration and test data analysis, launch readiness assessment, on-orbit performance assessment, ongoing analyses of associated technologies, and support to failure analysis inquiries. The Contractor will provide technical assistance and advice in the preparation and resulting evaluation of complex technical specifications. The Aerospace Corporation maintains the unique competency and diverse expertise through its long-term design support and engineering review of civilian and military meteorological satellite platforms. Its corporate and business practices protect Government and industry's interests and objectives by safeguarding proprietary and privileged information from misuse, and reducing the Government's costs due to duplication, delay and other general programmatic risks. Aerospace Corporation's corporate resources and facilities help advance the Government objectives to promote competition, reduce costs of acquiring and operating the converged satellite systems, and satisfy the programmatic requirements for NOAA/NESDIS. The Government's reliance on the Aerospace Corporation for this unique competence and independent base of advanced skills validates the exception from full and open competition under 41 U.S.C 253(c)(1). Other parties who desire consideration for this requirement must fully identify their capabilities in writing to the Contracting Officer within 15 calendar days of the posted date of this presolicitation notice.NOTE: For more information on this action's follow-on effort, please reference Presolicitation Notice Reference No. NE-EK0000-5-00282 posted on May 19, 2005.