Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity - Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) IV

Background
The justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity supports a procurement action conducted under the authority of Indefinite-Delivery Contracts. This procurement action is generated by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's procurement office for Program Support, specifically aimed at enhancing Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) capabilities.

Work Details
The contract will result in a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) order aimed at enhancing, building upon, and maintaining atmospheric modeling and simulation capabilities developed in previous contract iterations. The services required include:
1. Studying the effects of the atmosphere on Free-Space Optical Communications (FSOC), which uses light propagating in free space for data transmission.
2. Conducting studies on clouds, turbulence, and aerosols to quantify atmospheric effects and perform risk reduction.
3. Performing trade studies to determine optimal ground station network sizing and locations.
4. Characterizing and predicting atmospheric conditions at proposed Optical Ground Stations (OGS).
5. Assessing various operational concepts to ensure high availability of optical links for both near earth and deep space communications.

Period of Performance
The estimated period of performance includes a 12-month base period followed by four additional 12-month option periods, with an optional 6-month extension.

Place of Performance
The contract will be performed at Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation located at 7575 Colshire Drive, McLean, Virginia.