10/17/2023

NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has a continuing requirement for safety & mission assurance, audit, and assessment services to support the NASA Safety Center (NSC). This requirement is currently being fulfilled by the Safety & Mission Assurance, Audits, and Assessments II (SMA3 II) bridge contract. SMA3 II is a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract under which CPFF task orders (TOs) are awarded. The bridge contract provides technical services including Audit/Assessment/Analysis Support; Other Support such as Institutional Safety Assessment and Hazard Analysis, System Safety Hazard Analysis, Reliability and Maintainability Analysis, Risk Analysis and Management, Supplier/Supply Chain Data Management and Analytics, Software Safety and Software Assurance, Training and Outreach (which includes working group) and Program Support; Quality Engineering and Assurance; and Information Systems including the System for Tracking Audits/Assessments and Reviews (STAR) application and Meta Information System Support to the NSC, the NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA), and other NASA Centers. The effective ordering period for the bridge contract ends December 31, 2023.

To fulfill this requirement, NASA GRC intends to solicit and negotiate with the current SMA3 II contractor; KBR Wyle Services, LLC; on a sole source basis to extend the current contract’s effective ordering period by up to an additional twelve (12) months – January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024, in one (1) three-month option, one (1) two-month option, and seven (7) one-month options. The Government intends to award this SMA3 II extension using the procedures described in FAR Part 6. The SMA3 II extension is necessary to allow for completion of the full and open competition for, and transition to, the SMA3 II follow-on contract—Safety & Mission Assurance, Audits, Assessments and Analysis (SA3). Offers for the follow-on SA3 contract were separately solicited via Request for Proposal No. 80GRC022R0029 and timely received. The SA3 contract had been awarded in February 2022 utilizing FAR Part 15 procedures; however, an unsuccessful offeror protested the award. In response to the protest, the Agency filed a notice of voluntary corrective action. The protest was subsequently dismissed in April 2022. Corrective action remains ongoing, and award of the follow-on SA3 contract remains pending the corrective action.

The rationale supporting this sole source extension/acquisition is 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.” The rationale is also based on the nature of the work to be performed and the need for contract coverage, the timeframe to phase in a new contractor, and the fact that NASA currently has a competitive procurement plan in progress.

Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications statements to perform the effort electronically via email to loretta.jameshemphill@nasa.gov no later than 5:00 PM ET 11/1/2023. The interested organizations’ capabilities and qualifications statements will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to compete this 12-month extension/acquisition of the SMA3 II contract. Capabilities and qualifications statements will not be evaluated for purposes of the follow-on competition. A determination by the Government not to compete this 12-month extension/acquisition on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.

NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate-Listing.pdf.