Australia 2020 Launch Range Support Services

NASA hereby clarifies its search for capabilities/qualifications, as follows: NASA GSFC/WFF plans to award a contract to Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) to provide a temporary southern hemisphere launch site for conducting scientific investigations and related services. ELA will be responsible for providing the basic launch range on or by January 2020, support infrastructure, permits and launch approvals while NASA will be responsible for providing and assembling all flight hardware (including the launch vehicle) as well as providing and installing a NASA-owned launcher. The awardee must have a lease for the launch site and demonstrated an ability to obtain agreements with land owners for accessing the payload and rocket landing sites prior to award on or about August 1, 2019. The base period of performance will be on or about August 1, 2019 - February 29, 2020 and will consist of a planning phase; Option One is March 1, 2020-May 31, 2020 and will consist of the site set up phase and Option Two is June 1, 2020-December 31, 2020 and will consist of the launch support. NASA/GSFC WFF intends to issue the award on a noncompetitive basis to ELA in accordance with 10 U.S.C 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, "Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements." ELA is the only known source that has a lease in place for the launch site and agreements in work for a landing site that will allow NASA to meet its launch schedule of July 2020. The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on June 10, 2019. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html