NASA STEM (NSTEM) Services

This is a follow-on request to the RFI the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) NASA Shared Services Center posted to beta SAM on November 2, 2020 regarding the NASA-enterprise wide Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Services (NSTEM) services. NASA is seeking capability statements from interested parties, including all socioeconomic categories of Small Businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Serving Institutions (MSI), for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for the NSTEM 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. In the spirit of meeting President Biden's Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, NASA is specifically seeking capabilities from HBCU/MSIs to determine if there are opportunities to set-aside a portion of the work as a prime contractor opportunity or encourage partnering with large or small business to deliver support services to the Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). NASA is also seeking feedback from industry on any concerns they may have regarding this approach. ATTENTION: SMALL BUSINESS RESPONDENTS who are interested in participation for this effort: No set aside decision has been made; however, the previous submissions from small businesses did not provide the level of confidence necessary that two or more socio-economic concerns would be able to successfully perform the work contemplated. NASA will determine the final strategy after thorough analysis of the Small Business responses and other market research available, considering the demonstrated interest and capability. Please ensure that you provide a thorough response to each question. Enterprise Operating Model for the Contemplated Contract (NSTEM): If a solicitation is issued, it will be for a comprehensive NASA-enterprise solution for STEM services. NSTEM will standardize requirements and streamline management of such requirements and resulting contracts across all NASA centers, missions, and projects to enable delivery of STEM services to the entire agency. The Government is seeking information from industry to determine the best approach for award of a contract to deliver NSTEM services based on a centralized arrangement of the NASA centers. The NSTEM program anticipates a period of performance consisting of a one-year base period, four (4) one-year option periods, and an Option to Extend Services for up to six months. The estimated award date for NSTEM services is the first quarter of FY23. The requirements described in the NSTEM draft performance work statement (PWS) (Attached) are applicable to all NASA centers, and the requirements contained in the draft PWS are based on the best information available at the time of posting this request for information. Responses to this RFI should be structured in a manner that indicates the section to which your organization 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 procurement strategy for NSTEM. Requirements History: STEM services have historically been procured at each of the 10 NASA centers. These services are currently embedded in numerous support services contracts and cooperative agreements. The sum of these services is included in the draft PWS attached. Section 1 - Sources Sought Synopsis | Responses to Part 1 (a-c) 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 draft PWS(Attached) and submit the following: A narrative statement of capabilities and qualifications that - Provides a description of the company's capabilities and qualifications to perform each of the core activities identified in the draft PWS. For each of the core activities, your narrative statement should identify and describe: Knowledge, skills, and abilities to include unique capabilities your organization possesses in relation to the requirements described in the draft PWS (Attached) The ability of small businesses or HBCU/MSIs to perform the requirements outlined in the draft PWS (Attached), based on the contemplated enterprise-solution. Respond by indicating Yes or No for each section, along with supporting rationale describing the likelihood and any potential barriers/impediments to small business and/or HBCU/MSI along with measures that could be implemented to maximize small business and/or HBCU/MSI participation as primes or first tier subcontractors, given the transition to an enterprise operating model based on a centralized arrangement of the NASA centers Provide a description of existing business systems/processes in place (e.g. accounting system, estimating system, etc.) to contract with NASA Provides a description of the company's capability to manage and support STEM services requirements at various locations. Provides information regarding potential teaming arrangements and use of joint ventures to support the requirement areas of this efforts. Specifically, the Government is interested in potential teaming arrangements with and responses from qualified and capable small businesses, SDBs, SDVOSBs, WOSBs, HUBZone small businesses, and HBCU/MSIs. Provide information on how you envision your company's areas of expertise and those of any potential teaming partners would combine to meet the requirement areas of this effort. A completed - NSTEM 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: 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, Relevant work performed. Respondents should link relevant work from the contract(s) they are referencing to the related section of the attached Contemplated NSTEM Technical Requirements by marking an - X using the drop-down feature in the matrix 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) 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 RESPONSES All narrative responses should be provided in MS Word document format via email, abide by the page limitations, include the Reference Number 80NSSC21R0009 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, NSTEM Questionnaire in MS Word, etc.). Please submit responses no later than 4:00 PM (CT), June 18, 2021, via email to shari.trigg@nasa.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 at a later date. As such, interested companies are responsible for monitoring this website for the release of any additional information. Primary Point of Contact Shari Trigg: shari.trigg@nasa,gov Secondary Point of Contact Lewis Hansen: lewis.r.hansen@nasa,gov