V. Proposal Opportunity Period.
This section should provide the proposal opportunity period(s). The following methods may be used individually or in conjunction for establishing the proposal opportunity period(s):
(a) The AO may be issued establishing a single date by which proposals may be received. However, the AO could provide that the agency may amend the AO to provide for subsequent dates for submission of proposals, if additional investigations are desired.
(b) The AO may be issued to provide for an initial submission date with the AO to remain open for submission of additional proposals up to a final cutoff date. This final date should be related to the availability of resources necessary to evaluate the continuous flow of proposals and the time remaining prior to the flight opportunities contemplated by the AO.
(c) The AO may be issued establishing a number of dates by which proposals may be received. Normally no more than three proposal submission dates should be established. The submittal dates may be spread over the number of months most compatible with the possible flight opportunities and the availability of resources necessary to evaluate and fund the proposal. If desired, this section should further inform the reader that if a proposal receives a Category I, II, or III rating but is not selected for immediate support, the proposal may, if desired by the proposer, be held by NASA for later consideration within the ground rules set forth in paragraphs l and 2. The section should inform the reader that if the person wishes the proposal to be so treated, it should be indicated in the proposal. This section should further indicate that offerors whose proposals are to be considered at a later time will be given the opportunity to revalidate their proposals with their institution and update cost data.
VI. Requirements and Constraints.
(a) This section will include technical, programmatic, cost, and schedule requirements or constraints, as applicable, and will specify performance limits such as lifetime, flight environment, safety, reliability, and quality assurance provisions for flight-worthiness. It will specify the requirements and constraints related to the flight crew and the ground support. It will also include requirements for data analysis, estimated schedule of data shipment to user or observer, need for preliminary or raw data analysis and interim reports. It will specify the planned period (time) for data analysis to be used for budgeting. It will provide any additional information necessary for a meaningful proposal.
(b) When NASA determines that instrumentation, ground support equipment, or NASA supporting effort will be required or may be expected to be required by the contemplated investigations, the AO should indicate to the potential investigators that they must submit specific information regarding this requirement to allow an in-depth evaluation of the technical aspects, cost, management, and other factors by the Installation Project Office.
VII. Proposal Submission Information.
(a) Preproposal Activities-In this section, the AO will indicate requirements and activities such as the following:
(1) Submittal of "Notice of Intent" to propose (if desired), date for submission, and any additional required data to be submitted. Indicate whether there are information packages which will only be sent to those who submit "Notice of Intent."
(2) Attendance at the preproposal conference (if held). Information should be provided as to time, place, whether attendance will be restricted in number from each institution, and whether prior notice of intention to attend is required. If desired, a request may be included that questions be submitted in writing several days before the conference in order to prepare replies.
(3) The name and address of the scientific or technical contact for questions or inquiries.
(4) Any other preproposal data considered necessary.
(b) Format of Proposals-This section should provide the investigator with the information necessary to enable an effective evaluation of the proposal. The information is as follows:
(1) Proposal-The AO should indicate how the proposal should be submitted to facilitate evaluation. The proposal should be submitted in at least two sections; (i) Investigation and Technical Section; and (ii) Management and Cost Section.
(2) Signatory-The proposal must be signed by an institutional official authorized to ensure institutional support, sponsorship of the investigation, management, and financial aspects of the proposal.
(3) Quantity-The number of copies of the proposal should be specified. One copy should be clear black and white, and on white paper of quality suitable for reproduction.
(4) Submittal Address-Proposals from domestic sources should be mailed to arrive not later than the time indicated for receipt of proposals to:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Office of (Program)
Code AO No.
Washington, DC 20546
(5) Format-To aid in proposal evaluation, and to facilitate comparative analysis, a uniform proposal format will be required for each AO. The number of pages, page size, and restriction on photo reduction, etc., may be included. The format contained in Appendix B can be used as a guide. Proposers may be requested to respond to all of the items or the AO may indicate that only selected items need be addressed. Using the Appendix format as a guide, specific guidelines may be prepared for the AO or an appropriate form developed.
(c) Additional Information-This section may be used to request or furnish data necessary to obtain clear proposals that should not require further discussions with the proposer by the evaluators. Other pertinent data could also be included, such as significant milestones.
(d) Foreign Proposals-The procedures for submission of proposals from outside the U.S. are contained in Appendix B, "Guidelines for Proposal Preparation." This section will describe any additional requirements, for example, if information copies of proposals are required to be furnished by the proposer to other organizations at the same time the proposal is submitted.
(e) Cost Proposals (U.S. Investigators Only)-This section defines any special requirements regarding cost proposals of domestic investigators. Reference then should be made to the cost proposal certifications indicated in Appendix B, "Guidelines for Proposal Preparation."
VIII. Proposal Evaluation, Selection, and Implementation.
(a) Evaluation and Selection Procedure.
(1) This section should notify the proposers of the evaluation process.
(2) For example, a statement similar to the following should be included:
"Proposals received in response to this AO will be reviewed by a subcommittee appointed by the (appropriate Program AA). The purpose of the review is to determine the scientific/technical merit of the proposals in the context of this AO and so categorize the proposals. Those proposals which are considered to have the greatest scientific/technical merit are further reviewed for engineering, integration, management, and cost aspects by the Project Office at the installation responsible for the project. On the basis of these reviews, and the reviews of the responsible Program Office and the Steering Committee, the (appropriate Program Associate Administrator) will appoint/select the investigators/investigations."
(b) Evaluation Criteria.
(1) This section should indicate that the selection of proposals which best meet the specific scientific, applications, and/or technological objectives, stated in the AO, is the aim of the solicitation. This section should list the criteria to be used in the evaluation of proposals and indicate their relative importance. See NASA FAR Supplement 1872.402 for a listing of criteria generally appropriate.
(2) This section will also inform the proposers that cost and management factors, e.g., proposed small business participation in instrumentation fabrication or investigation support, will be separately considered.
IX. Schedule.
This section should include the following, as applicable:
(a) Preproposal conference date.
(b) Notice of Intent submittal date.
(c) Proposal submittal date(s).
(d) Target date for announcement of selections.
X. Appendices.
(a) General Instructions and Provisions (must be attached to each AO).
(b) Other Pertinent Data, e.g., Spacelab Accommodations Data.
/s/ Associate Administrator
for (Program)
