SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SOURCES SOUGHT FOR AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATION CASESTUDY FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS
- Notice Date
- 2/8/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Dryden Flight Research Center, Code A, P.O. Box 273, Edwards, CA 93523-0273
- ZIP Code
- 93523-0273
- Solicitation Number
- NND12UACCCS
- Response Due
- 3/25/2012
- Archive Date
- 2/8/2013
- Point of Contact
- Lisa A Jackson, Contracting Officer, Phone 661-276-2154, Fax 661-276-2904, Email lisa.a.jackson@nasa.gov - Andrea C Basham, Contract Specialist, Phone 661-276-6126, Fax 661-276-3374, Email andrea.c.basham@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Lisa A Jackson
(lisa.a.jackson@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NASA/DFRC is hereby soliciting information about potential sources forparticipation in a case study to draft a type certification basis for the airworthinessof an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Dryden Flight Research Center(DFRC) is seeking information from all interested parties, including Small, SmallDisadvantaged (SDB), 8(a), Woman-owned (WOSB), Veteran Owned (VOSB), Service DisabledVeteran Owned (SD-VOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) businesses,and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI) forthe purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small businesssubcontracting goals for the Airworthiness Certification Case Study for Unmanned AircraftSystems. The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, 8(a), Woman-owned (WOSB),Service Disabled Veteran (SD-VOSB), or HUBZone business set-aside based on responseshereto. The case study is being conducted as part of NASA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integrationin the National Airspace System Project. The goal is to advance formation of the UAScertification process by developing a type certification basis for a UAS (including theaircraft, communication links, ground control elements, and other supporting equipment).The case study would involve working with a team from NASA to identify all existingFederal Aviation Regulations (FARs) that apply to the UAS, proposed exemptions from theregulations, and proposed special conditions. The case study would also evaluate theresults to determine applicability to other UAS. The case study requires detailed design information about a manufacturer's UAS,sufficient to establish the type certification basis, as well as interaction with themanufacturer to understand the design and intended operational scenarios or use cases.The case study would follow the practices used for establishing a type certificationbasis for a manned aircraft, but would benefit from leveraging existing work by the FAAon the theoretical applicability of the current body of regulations to UAS. The processinvolves development of issue papers as per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Order8110.112 as the means for accomplishing the steps in the type certification process. Theexpectation is that the process of determining a proposed type certification basis for aUAS would help identify: (1) existing regulations that clearly apply to the proposed UAS,(2) existing regulations that may need modification or UAS-specific interpretation toapply, (3) existing regulations that do not apply and should be exempted, and (4) wherespecial conditions may be needed to identify safety issues not addressed in the FARs orother guidance, or for novel or unusual design features specific to that UAS. Documentingthe rationale for all of these findings is an important part of the case study. This case study would provide an empirical evaluation of airworthiness requirements forUAS to help validate the theoretical work, would lay the groundwork for typecertification of the UAS under study, and could expedite establishment of a UAScertification process that could be implemented by the FAA. Because any single case studywould only address those regulations relevant to the particular UAS under study, theresults would not represent a comprehensive assessment of all regulations or thosenecessary for other UAS. However, the potential exists to provide an initial step in thetype certification process for one or more UAS to operate in the National Airspace System(NAS) for civil use. The case study is targeting UAS platforms that weigh more than 55 lbs; that are fixedwing, rotary wing, or hybrid aircraft; and that are intended to operate within the U.S.National Airspace System for commercial/civil application. NASA prefers vehicles thatrepresent a broad segment of UAS types rather than a narrow segment or a unique vehicle.Special purpose operations typical of a restricted category aircraft (e.g., aerialsurveying, pipeline patrolling, agricultural spraying or monitoring, and forest andwildlife conservation) are targeted in addition to those operations typical of normalcategory aircraft. UAS used exclusively for experimental or recreational purposes, orwhose operation is within the purview of FAA regulation expected for 'small' UAS, arebeyond the scope of this effort. The intended partnership between NASA and one or more industry partners will jointly:define the intended mission or use case for a UAS, evaluate the UAS design to identifypotential certification issues, develop a certification basis worksheet that willidentify all applicable requirements, exemptions, and special conditions that areanticipated, develop a compliance checklist, document rationale for all findings, andevaluate the results for applicability to other UAS. At a minimum, the draft typecertification basis and any reports on the process and extension of the results areintended for open and public distribution. Qualified providers are considered to be U.S. commercial entities that are establishedand recognized developers of UAS, who have previous history in the successful developmentand production of a UAS. Experience with FAA certification processes is desirable, butnot required. Interested companies are invited to submit specific information on the following topics: 1. Category of offeror: Indicate your status as a UAS manufacturer. Provide data onprevious development of UAS. Indicate whether any of your UAS have flown under an FAACertificate of Authorization (COA) or experimental certificate. Indicate any experiencewith the FAA's type certification process. 2. UAS type: Describe UAS for consideration for the case study. Description shouldinclude the following, as a minimum: aircraft weight, aircraft dimensions, operationalaltitude, speed and endurance, means of propulsion, ground control station, communicationlinks, and launch/recovery methods (if non-conventional). List any novel features of theproposed UAS other than the systems and equipment needed to support unmanned operations(such as unusual aerodynamic configurations, novel structural designs, or novelpropulsion systems). Identify whether there are subsystems of the UAS that you wouldconsider out of scope for any type certification study. 3. UAS use case: Describe the mission(s) or proposed commercial application(s) for theUAS to be considered for the case study and the expected operational environment,including operation restrictions. Describe the class of airspace used for the applicationand the means to meet airspace operational requirements such as compliance with see andavoid (14 CFR 91.113) requirements and timely compliance with air traffic controlinstructions. 4. Public distribution of results: Indicate your willingness to agree to open and publicdistribution of the draft type certification basis and any reports on the process andextension of the results. Prospective offerors are invited to submit written technical comments or questions to:Kelly Hayhurst, no later than March 25, 2012. When responding reference 'AirworthinessCertification Case Study for Unmanned Aircraft Systems'. Comments may be submitted to Ms.Hayhurst via electronic transmission: kelly.j.hayhurst@nasa.gov or by facsimiletransmission: 757-864-4234. Interested offerors/vendors having the required specialized capabilities to meet theabove requirement should submit as a minimum, a brief description of your relevantcompany capabilities, products and services, history, and other specific information, asrequested in this solicitation, to indicate the ability to perform all aspects of theeffort described herein. Specific information related to any or all of the topicsidentified above is desired. As part of your information package, please include companyTechnical Point(s) of Contact including address, telephone number, and e-mail address.The information package should be provided as a PDF document and the upload should notexceed 10 pages. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-typeproduct. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101. At its discretion, NASA may request further discussions and/or clarifications of theinformation submitted in the early 2012 time frame. If agreeable to both parties, suchdiscussions may take place via teleconferencing or an on-site visit at NASA LangleyResearch Center facilities in Hampton, Virginia, at the offerors expense. If they dooccur, discussions will be limited to a two hour time duration, and will consist ofvendor presentations and subsequent discussions of the presented material only.Representatives from NASA and their Contractors may be present for such discussions. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as acommitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited.Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemedfully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement. An ombudsman has been appointed -- See NASA Specific Note 'B'. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If asolicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA AcquisitionInternet Service. The solicitation and any documents related to the procurement will beavailable over the Internet. These documents will reside on a World Wide Web (WWW)server, which may be accessed using a WWW browser application. The Internet site, or URL,for the NASA/DFRC Business Opportunities home page is:http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=22. It is the potentialofferors responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of the solicitation andamendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their owncopy of the solicitation and amendments, if any. All responses shall be submitted to Lisa A. Jackson or Andrea C. Basham no later thanMarch 25, 2012. Please reference NND12UACCCS in any response. Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
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