NASA Communication Services (NCS), Request For Information/Sources Sought Synopsis

RFI Revision On January 22, 2021, NASA/KSC issued request for information/sources sought synopsis 80KSC20NCSRFI, which solicited information from potential sources capable of providing a comprehensive NASA-enterprise solution for all communication services within the agency. The notice also advised that requirements contemplated under the NASA enterprise solution for communication services was subject to revision and was for planning purposes only. Accordingly, the Government has continued to assess the requirements and the packaging of those requirements to develop long term enterprise acquisition strategies. Ultimately, NASA is seeking a contracting approach that: (1) Enhances the Agency's goal for speaking as One Team in One Voice, (2) Enables the Agency's ability through the Office of Communications to develop an integrated communications capability with insight into all 34 core functional areas , (3) Ensures the capability for communications services to be procured in the most efficient and effective manner possible. As a result of the assessment, the Government has identified synergies and efficiencies with the Enterprise Multimedia and Integrated Technical Services (eMITS) enterprise acquisition that is in development within the Office of the Chief Information Officer. As such, it is currently contemplated that some requirements that were included in the initial technical requirements document posted with the RFI in January 2021, will be removed from NCS and transferred to the eMITS acquisition. The requirements currently contemplated to be removed from NCS include, but are not limited to: Digital Media, Exhibits Management, Communication Technology, and Public Information Products Based on the revised scope, the Government currently contemplates award of one firm-fixed-price (FFP) Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract with task orders for the NASA centers and Mission Directorates. The IDIQ contract is contemplated to also include FFP level-of-effort and Time and Materials Contract Line Item Numbers due to the nature of some of the requirements. The draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) with the current NCS requirements has been uploaded to this notice (Attached: "Attachment J-1_DRAFT_NCS PWS"). The PWS describes the following core requirements: Strategic Communications, Planning and Integration; Engagement-Stakeholder Relations and Public Engagements; Media Relations; History; Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Responses. These requirements enable delivery of communication services to the entire agency and are applicable to all NASA Centers, missions, programs, and projects, are based on the best information available at the time of publication, are subject to revision, and are for planning purposes only. As part of continuing market research, all interested parties are requested to respond to the following questions no later than August 27, 2021 via email to contact@example.gov. Note: Numbered items 13 and 14 are requested only from those companies that did not previously respond to the initial RFI. Responses to questions 1-11 shall not exceed 3 pages total. Responses to question 13 shall not exceed 2 pages. Responses shall follow the font requirements as stated in the - RESPONSES section of the January 22, 2021 notice. Please provide your assessment of the merits within the current NCS approach to fulfilling NASA's three overarching goals above for contracting for communication services. Considering the current NCS scope, as identified in the draft NCS PWS, please comment on the suitability of NAICS code 541820-Public Relations Agencies for the NCS effort. Your company may also recommend NAICS codes it deems more suitable and rationale on why it's suitable. Considering the current NCS scope, as identified in the draft NCS PWS, please comment on the ability of a small business to perform the requirements to include demonstrated experience (Government or Commercial) in leading a geographically dispersed team that demonstrates the ability of a small business to meet NASA's communication needs across multiple Mission Directorates and Centers. Respond Yes or No, along with supporting rationale. Considering the current NCS scope, as identified in the draft NCS PWS, please comment on the ability of a small business to perform the requirements. Respond Yes or No, along with supporting rationale. Considering the current NCS scope, as identified in the draft NCS PWS, please comment on the contract type or types considered the best fit for this type of work (e.g., Firm-Fixed-Price, Cost-Reimbursable, IDIQ, Time & Materials, etc.) along with rationale. The NCS contract is anticipated to have a 5-year period of performance. Considering the current NCS scope, as identified in the draft NCS PWS, and transition to an Enterprise Solution, please comment on the suitability of the period of performance. Does your company and/or team have the demonstrated capabilities to perform all facets of the requirements identified in the current draft NCS PWS to include providing program management that provides consulting and support that demonstrates your ability to support multiple centers and mission directorates? Do you anticipate a teaming or subcontractor plan; if so, could the team perform all facets of the requirements identified in the current draft NCS PWS? Does your company have the demonstrated capability to manage and support communication services requirements at all NASA centers based on the contemplated approach of one contract to support all NCS requirements? Please provide supporting rationale for - yes answers. Is your company a current GSA Schedule contract holder? If so, can your company perform all facets of the requirements identified in the draft NCS PWS under your GSA Schedule contract? Does your company currently have a GSA OASIS contract with scope that covers all facets of the NCS requirements? Provide a completed Relevant Work Matrix (Attached: "NCS_Relevant Work Matrix_RFI Rev") Provide a description of your capabilities/qualifications to perform the requirements identified in the current draft NCS PWS. Responses are only requested from those companies that have not previously responded to the initial RFI. Provide a completed NCS RFI Questionnaire (Attached: "NCS_Questionnaire_RFI Rev"). Responses are only requested from those companies that have not previously responded to the initial RFI. Please continue to monitor sam.gov for the release of any additional information related to NCS or eMITS. All correspondence related to the potential NCS contract opportunity should be sent to the Contracting Officers identified in this post via contact@example.gov. Also note that the - NCS Interested Parties List will be included as an attachment to this posting at a later date to facilitate teaming arrangements. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE OR PROPOSAL. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS (SSS) ONLY. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. It is the potential Offeror's responsibility to monitor the site for the release of any amendments to this RFI or if released, future solicitation documents related to this synopsis. This RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. The information received will not be released to the public but may be used to refine requirements and develop the best approach for any follow-on contract strategy. Information used in such a manner may be recognizable to the interested party who submitted it. Any information submitted in response to this RFI that is marked - Proprietary, - Confidential, - Commercial or - Financial. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Question & Response from One-on-One Meetings Industry Questions and Government Responses have been posted for industry review (see Attachment titled, "NCS Q&Rs") Please continue to monitor this posting for the release of any additional information. All correspondence related to this potential contract opportunity should be sent to the Contracting Officers identified in this post via contact@example.gov. Virtual Industry Day Announcement The virtual industry day for NCS has been postponed. More information on this event will be posted in the future; therefore, companies are responsible for monitoring beta.sam.gov for additional details. The Government will hold one-on-one meetings the week of March 9 - 12. One-on-one meetings will be limited to 25 minutes. The deadline to register for the one-on-ones remains 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, March 5. Once all requests are confirmed, the Government will provide instructions to each registered company on how and when to participate in the virtual one-on-ones. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Virtual Industry Day Announcement A virtual industry day for the NASA Communication Services RFI is scheduled for Tuesday, March 9, 2021, and will include an opportunity for one-on-one meetings to discuss interest, capabilities, and input on the Government's contemplated enterprise-solution for NASA Communication Services. Registration for the industry day and the one-on-ones is limited to three (3) representatives per company. The industry day will be hosted on the WebEx platform and one-on-ones will be hosted on Microsoft Teams. More information on this event will be posted in the future; therefore, companies are responsible for monitoring beta.sam.gov for additional details. To register for the industry day event, your company must send an email to contact@example.gov and list the anticipated attendees. To register for one-on-ones, your company's email must indicate such interest as well. The subject/title of your email should be formatted as follows: [Company Name] - 80KSC20NCSRFI Industry Day The deadline to register for both the industry day and one-on-ones is 4:00pm Est on Friday, March 5th. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is hereby soliciting information from potential sources for the NASA-enterprise wide Communication Services (NCS) contract(s). NASA is seeking capability statements from all interested parties, including all socioeconomic categories of Small Businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI), for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for the NCS contract. The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a), Women-owned Small Business (WOSB), Service Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business (SD-VOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Business (EDWOSB) or HUBZone business set-aside based on responses received. Oral communications are not acceptable responses to this notice. Enterprise Operating Model for the Contemplated Contract (NCS): If a solicitation is issued, it will be for a comprehensive NASA-enterprise solution for communication services. NCS will standardize requirements and streamline management of such requirements and resulting contracts across all NASA centers, missions, and projects to enable delivery of communication services to the entire agency. The Government contemplates award of three or four firm-fixed-price (FFP), Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contracts for communication services based on a centralized arrangement of the NASA centers [i.e., East: Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC/HQ), & Langley Research Center (LaRC); South: Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Stennis Space Center (SSC), & Glenn Research Center (GRC); and West: Johnson Space Center (JSC), Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC), & Ames Research Center (ARC)]. The NCS contracts are anticipated to have a 5-year period of performance. The estimated award date for the contracts is late fiscal year (FY) 2022. The requirements described in the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached) are applicable to all NASA centers. Requirements contained in the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached) is based on the best information available at the time of publication, is subject to revision, appliable to all NASA centers, and is for planning purposes only. Interested companies, having the appropriate competencies to perform any or all of the contemplated requirements, are invited to submit a capability statement in accordance with Section 1, and to respond to the requested information identified in Section 2. Responses to this RFI should be structured in a manner that indicates the section to which your company is responding. Confidential, proprietary or competition sensitive information should not be submitted in response to this RFI; however, if proprietary data is included in a reply, it must be marked as such. Responses received may be used by the Government in the development of any resultant acquisition strategy for NCS. Requirements History: Communication services have historically been procured at each of the 10 NASA centers. These services are embedded in numerous support services contracts. A partial listing of contracts and the respective prime contractors applicable to the contemplated NCS is provided below. 80GSFC17C0003, Space & Earth Sciences Data Analysis (SESDA IV) | Prime: ADNET Systems, Inc. 80HQTR19D0032, Greenbelt Visitor Center | Prime: Alexton, Inc. 80KSC017C011, Kennedy Infrastructure Applications & Communications (KIAC) | Prime: ASRC Federal Data Solutions, LLC 80KSC017D0003, KSC Institutional Support Services (KISS IV) | Prime: Apache-Logical, Joint Venture 80LARC18C0002, Langley Administrative, Media, & Professional Services (LAMPS) | Prime: Alutiiq Fusion, Joint Venture NND16AA03B, Center Administrative & Technical Support Services (CATSS) | Prime: Logical Innovations, Inc. NNJ16JA52B, Communications, Outreach, Multimedia, & Information Technology (COMIT) | Prime: MORI Associates, Inc. NNM12AA53C, Office of Strategic Analysis and Communication Support Services (OSAC COMMSS) | Prime: Analytical Services, Inc. 80MSFC19R0024, Strategic Research & Analysis, Communications, Exhibits Services (SRACES) | Prime: Media Fusion, LLC Section 1 - Sources Sought Synopsis | Responses to Part 1 (a-b) and Part 2 (d) of this section are limited to 15 pages and should follow the font requirements stated in the - Response section below: Interested parties are requested to review the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached) and submit the following: 1) A narrative statement of capabilities and qualifications that - a. Provides a description of the company's capabilities and qualifications to perform each of the core activities identified in the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements. For each of the core activities, your narrative statement should identify and describe: i. Knowledge, skills, and abilities to include unique capabilities your company possesses in relation to the requirements described in the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached) ii. Any standard industry tools (e.g., IT capabilities, software, processes, etc.) your company uses that may be used to achieve the requirements described in the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached) b. Provides a description of the company's capability to manage and support communication services requirements at various locations, based on the contemplated centralized arrangement of the NASA centers: i. East (KSC, GSFC/HQ & LaRC), ii. South (MSFC, SSC & GRC), and iii. West (JSC, AFRC & ARC) 2) A completed - NCS Relevant Work Matrix (Attached), which will serve as a listing of relevant customers (Government & Commercial) from the past three (3) years. A completed matrix requires the following information: a. Fill-in the name of Agency or Commercial Customer, Contract number, Location(s) of performance, Government/Commercial point of contact for the contract (i.e., name, phone number and email), NAICS, Contract type, and Dollar value of each procurement, b. Relevant work performed. Respondents should link relevant work from the contract(s) they are referencing to the related section of the attached Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements by marking an - X using the drop-down feature in the matrix c. If your company was a prime or subcontractor. Use the drop-down feature in the matrix to select the appropriate status (if performed as subcontractor, please indicate percentage of work or subcontract dollar value) d. In addition to completing the matrix, provide a short narrative of the work identified in items a-b above (e.g., specialized, high-profile projects; social media campaigns; exhibits; communications plans; etc.), and identify any industry or Government awards 3) A completed - NCS RFI Questionnaire (Attached). It is requested that all applicable sections be entirely filled-out Section 2 - Request for Additional Information | Responses to this section are not page limited but should follow the page layout and font requirements stated in the - Responses section below: To assist in formulating a procurement strategy, the following RFI questions are offered for your consideration. Your response shall indicate the numbered section to which your company is responding. [For example, if you would like to respond to paragraph (b) of Part 2 under Section 2 of the RFI/SSS, please title your response - Section 2 - Request for Additional Information, Part 2(b) in your response] 1) Acquisition-specific, based on the centralized arrangement of NASA centers - Identify and describe: a. Potential barriers to competition that could be mitigated to foster a more competitive environment for this procurement b. Potential challenges or risks associated with transitioning to an enterprise operating model for communication services c. Potential benefits associated with transitioning to an enterprise operating model for communication services d. Government resources needed to ensure the lowest possible cost and most effective transition to an enterprise operating model for communication services 2) Contemplated NCS Requirements - Identify and describe: a. Potential cost drivers in performing the contemplated communication services requirements, i. Identify the related section of the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached) in the response b. Industry innovations and advancements that may be used to achieve the objectives outlined in the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements c. Recommended approaches to handling urgent needs and surge work in an enterprise environment, and cite examples of how your company has handled urgent needs and surge work in the past d. Critical requirements your company believes could be added to the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached) that may result in synergies Provide Comments on: e. The suitability of the Government's requirements for Communications services to a classification of a commercial item as defined in FAR 2.101. Respond by indicating Yes or No to its suitability, along with supporting rationale f. The suitability of a Statement of Objectives (SOO) or a Performance Work Statement (PWS) for the contemplated requirements [reference FAR 37.602]. Respond by indicating your selection, along with supporting rationale describing the benefits and challenges g. The ability of a small business to perform the requirements outlined in the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached), based on the contemplated enterprise-solution. Respond by indicating Yes or No, along with supporting rationale describing the likelihood and any potential barriers/impediments to small business concerns along with measures that could be implemented to maximize small business participation as primes and as subcontractors of any tier, given the transition to an enterprise operating model based on a centralized arrangement of the NASA centers h. Recommended small business subcontracting goals to include the following reporting categories SB, WOSB, EDWOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB, HubZone, and HBCU/MI for the contemplated contract, along with supporting rationale 3) Strategic Approach to Enterprise-Solution - Provide Comments on: a. The viability of the Government's contemplated enterprise-solution (i.e., three or four contracts based on the following notional, centralized arrangement of the NASA centers: East (KSC, GSFC/HQ, & LaRC), South (MSFC, SSC, & GRC), and West (JSC, AFRC & ARC) i. Describe any recommended modification(s) and provide detailed rationale Identify and describe: b. Your company's recommendation on an enterprise-solution(s) it considers most advantageous to the agency in standardizing communication requirements across the NASA centers i. The response shall describe the strategic approach (e.g., number of contracts, centralized arrangement of NASA centers, location of staff, single-award or multiple-award, etc.), its impact on small business participation, measures that could be implemented to maximize small business participation as primes and subcontractors at any tier, and provide detailed rationale. Explain why your company's recommended strategic approach is the most beneficial approach for the Government [Some examples of strategic approaches include single-award contracts based on locations, multiple-award contracts based on the major sections of the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached), one (1) agency-wide contract encompassing all requirements, etc.] 4) Contract Type and Performance Standards/Metrics - Identify and describe: a. The contract type or types considered the best fit for this type of work (e.g., Firm-Fixed- Price, Cost-Reimbursable, IDIQ, Time & Materials, etc.), along with rationale i. Identify any sections of the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached) your company deems most appropriate for FFP - For the remaining sections, recommend the most appropriate contract type or types ii. Identify the contract type or types most appropriate for urgent and surge work, iii. Identify sections of the Contemplated NCS Technical Requirements (Attached) your company deems most appropriate for base-IDIQ and Task Orders b. Industry best practices, performance metrics and measurements, and innovative delivery methods that can be used to develop measurable performance standards and a method of assessing contractor performance against such standards c. An incentive structure, in the event of other than a FFP contract, to include underlying financial incentives appropriate for encouraging the development and implementation of innovative and cost-effective methods of performing the requirements Provide Comments on: d. The suitability of NAICS 541820-Public Relations Agencies to the contemplated contract, and any potential challenges or risks i. Your company may recommend any relevant NAICS it deems more appropriate for this contemplated contract, along with rationale RESPONSES All narrative responses should be provided in MS Word document format via email, abide by the page limitations, include the Reference Number 80KSC20NCSRFI and indicate which section of the RFI/SSS your company is addressing [For example, if you would like to respond to paragraph (b) of Part 2 under Section 2 of the RFI/SSS, please title your response - Section 2 - Request for Additional Information, Part 2(b) in your response]. A page is defined as one side of a sheet, 8 x 11, with at least one-inch margins on all sides, using Times New Roman font no smaller than 12-point type. All completed attachments should be provided in the format they were provided (e.g., Relevant Work Matrix in MS Excel, NCS Questionnaire in MS Word, etc.). Please submit responses no later than February 23, 2021, via email to contact@example.gov. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE OR PROPOSAL. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS (SSS) ONLY. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. It is the potential Offeror's responsibility to monitor the site for the release of any amendments to this RFI or if released, future solicitation documents related to this synopsis. This RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. The information received will not be released to the public, but may be used to refine requirements and develop the best approach for any follow-on contract strategy. Information used in such a manner may be recognizable to the interested party who submitted it. Any information submitted in response to this RFI that is marked - Proprietary, - Confidential, - Commercial or - Financial Information will be considered voluntarily submitted in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. An industry day is planned for this acquisition and will be announced as an amendment to this RFI/SSS. As such, interested companies are responsible for monitoring this website for the release of any additional information.