NASA unveils rough cut of $365M research support recompete
NASA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo by Celal Gunes / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
By
Ross Wilkers
Iteration number three of this contract known as NRESS continues the focus on how NASA reviews proposals in response to research announcements and other notices.
NASA has provided industry a rough cut of how it plans to conduct the recompete of a professional and IT services contract focused on the agency’s research and education missions.
Iteration number three of the NASA Research and Education Support Services contract, also known as NRESS, will have a $365.2 million ceiling over five years and is intended to support the agency’s entire lifecycle of peer review processes.
A draft solicitation on the contract released Tuesday describes those processes as including the development and receipt of research proposals, reviews of those submissions and the dispositions of them prior to award.
The contract is intended to help NASA headquarters organizations and other centers achieve their research, education and outreach goals. NASA is seeking to enable them in providing opportunities for education institutions, businesses and individuals to participate in the agency’s research programs.
The space agency lists NASA Research Announcements (NRAs), Announcements of Opportunity (AOs) and Cooperative Agreement Notices as among its mechanisms for receiving those proposals.
NRESS is designed to support the agency’s Science Mission Directorate, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, Space Technology Mission Directorate, and the Office of STEM Engagement.
Comments on the draft request for proposals are due March 18 and NASA is working to release the final solicitation by April 29.
ASRC Federal’s Agile Decision Sciences subsidiary is the incumbent for NRESS II and won the contract in late 2020 at a $212 million ceiling for five years. Deltek data indicates NASA has obligated 62% of that ceiling to-date, or approximately $131.9 million.