Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)   2

On June 6, 2023, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astrophysics Director approved a 20-month bridge phase extension to the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Mission; therefore extending the mission from February 2024 through fiscal year 2025. The extension was a result of a successful Mission Success Progress Review performed by an independent review panel.

NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) intends to procure continued uninterrupted support for an additional 20-months on a sole-source basis under Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation (BATC) contract NNM15AA18C and associated contracts NNM17AA26C and 80MSFC17C0012 with Leland Stanford Junior University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) respectively. The IXPE contracts were initially awarded as a result of NASA Headquarters Announcement of Opportunity (AO) process: AO NNH14ZDA0130, Astrophysics Explorers Program 2014 Small Explorer and are managed by MSFC under the NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate.

The scope of work covered under the BATC contract includes, but is not limited to providing the personnel, materials, hardware, software and services needed to operate and maintain the IXPE observatory for Phase E science operations through decommissioning. This includes observatory commanding, health and safety monitoring, mission planning, sustained spacecraft engineering support, flight software maintenance, anomaly resolution. The IXPE mission operations center also provides the interface to the MSFC Science Operations Center and to delivers stored science data and relevant spacecraft housekeeping data obtained from the S-band real-time and playback telemetry. The scope of work covered under associated Leland Stanford Junior University and MIT IXPE contracts is related to science planning, analysis, evaluation of Director's Discretionary Time target requests, improving the detection of polarization events through the use of neural networking, refining polarization models, and supporting the IXPE Science Working Group.

This synopsis is provided for informational purposes only. The Government does not intend to acquire these services using FAR Part 12. NASA/MSFC intends to procure these services under the authority of 10 U.S.C 2304 (c) (1) and FAR 6.302-1, "Only One Responsible Source and No Other Suppliers or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements". In accordance with FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii)(A), services may be deemed to be available only from the original source for the continued provision of highly specialized services when it is likely that award to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition and unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency's requirements.

Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort electronically via email to Kathryn Cooper at kathy.cooper@nasa.gov and Maurice Prevost at maurice.m.prevost@nasa.gov not later than 12:00 p.m. CST on October 26, 2023. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this acquisition on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this 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