GD/NASA Roadmap to Future Space Communication Architectures

NASA/GRC intends to enter a cooperative agreement with General Dynamics Mission Systems, 8201 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85257. The purpose of this follow-on cooperative agreement to NNC13AA01A is advancing SDR development and related space communication technologies with risk reduction activities for future flight SDR development, technology demonstrations, and commercialization. Building upon prior technology demonstrations completed through the NASA SCaN Testbed (formerly CoNNeCT) project, the cooperative agreement will consider proper communications and navigation system philosophies, technologies, architectural attributes, mission services, and communications capabilities to meet the needs of NASA's Next Generation Architecture for space communications. The effort will include the study of state-of-the-art technologies, such as quantum communications, and the application, modeling, and simulation of these technologies to meet the cost, performance, manufacturability, and security needs of future space communication systems and architectures. Award to other than the original source for the items/services would result in substantial duplication of cost that would not be recovered through competition because this cooperative agreement relies on continuity from NNC13AA01A. This procurement also benefits from a substantial, multi-year investment in personnel and testbed resources by General Dynamics to develop the expertise to perform research in the highly specialized field of Quantum Communications, including the understanding of how this advanced technology can fit within NASA's space communications capability. Additionally, this procurement leverages 16 years of past partnership between the NASA Glenn Research Center and General Dynamics in the area of space communications architectures and software-defined radio architecture development. Work completed under the previous cooperative agreement puts General Dynamics in the unique position of understanding NASA's needs and making a sustained investment in the relevant technical resources. This single-source cooperative agreement notification (CAN) is under the authority of NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Manual 5.3.1 Single-source Proposals and NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook Section D - 1274.203 Solicitations/Cooperative Agreement Notices. Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact (POC) not later than 4:30 p.m. (eastern standard time) on March 27, 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. 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.