AEROSPACE TESTING AND FACILITIES OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE (ATOM-6)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Ames Research Center (ARC) is hereby soliciting information and feedback to identify potential sources for providing testing, operations, and maintenance of the Wind Tunnel, Arc Jets, High Energy Facilities, and associated support facilities at NASA ARC. These facilities include but are not limited to: Unitary Plan Wind Tunnels (UPWT), Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (FML), Anechoic Test Chamber/Acoustics Laboratory, Arc Jet Complex, Ballistic Range Complex, Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) Facility, Sensor and Thermal Protection System Advanced Research Lab (STAR Lab), and Planetary Aeolian Laboratory (PAL). These facilities are national aerospace test facilities utilized by NASA, private industry, universities, the Department of Defense, and other government agencies. 

This request to identify qualified sources and solicit industry feedback relates to the follow-on requirement to the Aerospace Testing and Facilities Operations and Maintenance (ATOM 5) contract (80ARC022DA011).  The work will be performed primarily at Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, California.

CURRENT CONTRACT FEATURES: The current ATOM 5 Services Contract 80ARC022DA011 is with Amentum/Jacobs Technology Inc. and has the following features:

1) Period of Performance: 4/18/22 – 6/1/27

2) Contract Type: Hybrid - Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) / Firm Fixed Price (FFP)

3) The contract was awarded under Full and Open Competition.

4) The current value of the contract is: $298,650,219

NASA ARC is seeking capability statements from all interested parties, including all socioeconomic categories of Small Businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI) for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for a future ATOM 6 solicitation. The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, 8(a), Women-owned (WOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran (SD-VOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Business (EDWOSB) or Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) set-aside based, in part, on responses received.

PART I. PURPOSE OF THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

The purpose of this RFI is twofold and includes the following:

1. To gather input from industry regarding contracting approach, structure, incentives, and scalability.
2. To assess industry’s technical capabilities, staffing capacity, and past performance to determine the appropriate acquisition strategy and potential set-aside considerations.

*Note: Responses to Part I of this RFI are not requested

PART II. RESPONSES REGARDING CAPABILITIES/QUALIFICATIONS:

The Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) outlines the requirement for comprehensive services to support NASA’s test facilities and mission needs. These services include planning, preparation, and execution of tests; implementation of development projects; and the operation, maintenance, and repair of facilities, along with associated administrative support.

Mission success depends on close collaboration between NASA and the Contractor, often through integrated teams that combine government and contractor personnel. The Contractor will be responsible for identifying the skills, expertise, and materials necessary to successfully support the facilities with testing, development, and support services, as well as managing its resources to achieve the required outcomes.

Under this contract, the Contractor shall provide all labor, materials, and management required to meet performance objectives. Services may be extended, with Contracting Officer approval, to any customer when determined to be in the Government’s best interest. Additionally, these services may support other Ames Research Center facilities or other NASA installations when mission requirements dictate.

Interested Offerors are requested to submit a capability statement (no more than 50 pages) that addresses the following areas:

1. Company Information – Name, address, point of contact, DUNS/UEI, CAGE code, website, and business size classification (Large, Small, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) for NAICS 561210.
2. Technical Capability – Describe your capability including how your company would perform the requirements from Draft PWS sections 3.1 and 3.3 for the following facilities:
   • Wind Tunnel test operations, maintenance, and modernization
   • Arc Jet Complex operations, maintenance, facility upgrades, and instrumentation
   • Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (FML), Anechoic Test Chamber/Acoustics Laboratory, Ballistic Range Complex, Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) Facility, Sensor and Thermal Protection System Advanced Research Lab (STAR Lab), and Planetary Aeolian Laboratory (PAL) support. 
   • High-energy test environments and safety assurance
   • General laboratory operations and specialized sensor development
3. Workshare Estimates – For each technical area, indicate the percentage of work your company can perform as prime vs. subcontractor.
4. Past Performance – Provide examples from the past 5 years of similar contract experience relevant to ATOM-6 scope, including contract name, number, type, dollar value, and period of performance.  Please include a narrative detailing the work that was performed on the prior contracts and how it overlaps with the ATOM 6 Draft PWS requirements. 
5. Regulatory Knowledge – Describe your familiarity with NASA Procedural Requirements (NPRs), ITAR/EAR export controls, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), safety standards, and federal/state/local environmental regulations.
6. Infrastructure/Staffing – Identify your experience and ability to recruit and retain highly specialized technical staff, engineers, and test operators in the Silicon Valley region.

PART III. INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONS

Contract Type and Risk Allocation

1. What contract type (e.g., CPFF, CPIF, FFP, hybrid contract types, IDIQ, etc.) do you believe is most appropriate for ATOM 6 given its technical complexity, workload variability, and mission-critical requirements?
2. In your experience, what incentives (e.g., award fees, cost incentives, performance metrics) are likely to be effective in driving high-quality performance at a reasonable cost over the life of a long-term contract?
3. If recommending a hybrid model, please explain which elements should be fixed-price versus cost-reimbursement and why.

Contract Duration

1. Service contracts are typically limited to five years unless a deviation is approved. From your perspective, is a five-year period of performance sufficient to attract qualified bidders, retain critical workforce, and ensure facility stability?
2. Would a longer period (e.g., six to ten years with deviation approval) make your company more likely to submit a proposal in response to an ATOM 6 solicitation?  If so, what period of performance for ATOM 6 would your company be most likely to submit a proposal in response to and could that duration be reasonably priced.
3. Please describe the potential benefits and drawbacks of a longer-term contract to your company and NASA, (e.g. including how it could maximize NASA’s return on investment, encourage innovation, hire and retain qualified staff or reduce transition risks.)

Technical Information and Requirements Clarity

1. What technical information beyond the Draft PWS would be most helpful to include with the solicitation to assist your company in developing its proposal?

Contract Content and Structure

1. Provide any recommendations for restructuring or simplifying the Draft PWS to improve clarity and reduce ambiguity?
2. Are there opportunities to consolidate, streamline, or otherwise improve the description of technical areas to better align with industry practices?

Socio-Economic Participation

1. NASA places a high priority on socio-economic participation. Given the scope of ATOM 6, what realistic percentages of work could be subcontracted to the following categories (Please note this question does not mean that this procurement will be conducted as full and open competition):

• Small Business Concerns
• Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Concerns
• Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Concerns
• HUBZone Small Business Concerns
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI)
• Veteran-Owned Business Concerns
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Concerns (SDVOSB)

          2. Please provide examples of areas within the Draft PWS where small or disadvantaged firms could add the most value.

Additional Considerations

1. What transition period length would be necessary for an effective handover without mission risk?
2. How might contract structure (e.g. hybrid contract, IDIQ) impact your ability to recruit and retain specialized staff in the high-cost Silicon Valley region?
3. Describe any barriers (e.g., facility access, ITAR/EAR compliance, security clearances, insurance requirements, earned value management [EVM] thresholds) your company currently believes would prevent or decreases the likelihood your company would submit a proposal in response to a future ATOM 6 solicitation.
4. What are the major risks your company sees in the Draft PWS and in performing the future ATOM 6 contract?  Please explain any desired mitigations to those risks that NASA should consider.
5. Explain any other information/engagement activities (e.g., one-on-one meeting with NASA personnel responsible for ATOM 6, site visit to see the various facilities covered by the ATOM 6 requirement, additional information that could be provided, specific types of engagement activities, etc.) that would increase the likelihood of your company electing to submit a proposal in response to a future ATOM 6 procurement.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted in writing via email. Oral communications are not acceptable in responses to this notice. Proprietary information should be marked accordingly. All responses should be submitted electronically via email to the Contracting Officer, Suhail Haji (Sammy) at suhail.haji@nasa.gov and Contract Specialist, Patrick Yamamoto at patrick.e.yamamoto@nasa.gov no later than 9:00 am, Pacific Standard Time, January 20, 2026. Please reference – Aerospace Testing and Facilities Operations and Maintenance (ATOM 6) RFI in any response.

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

If a solicitation is released, then it and any additional documents will be available on Sam.gov. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor this website for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any).  Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments, if any.

This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for the information provided. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the capability assessment.

Attachments:

Attachment 1: Draft Performance Work Statement