NRA 99-OSS-02
Appendix B

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO NASA RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENTS
FOR SOLICTED BASIC RESEARCH PROPOSALS

NASA Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Supplement (NFS) Version 89.90
Part 1852.235-72 (January 1997)
(accessible through URL http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/nfstoc.htm,
open "Part 1852.228 to 1852.241" from the menu).

(a). General.

1. Proposals received in response to a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) will be used only for evaluation purposes. NASA does not allow a proposal, the contents of which are not available without restriction from another source, or any unique ideas submitted in response to an NRA to be used as the basis of a solicitation or in negotiation with other organizations, nor is a preaward synopsis published for individual proposals.

2. A solicited proposal that results in a NASA award becomes part of the record of that transaction and may be available to the public on specific request; however, information or material that NASA and the awardee mutually agree to be of a privileged nature will be held in confidence to the extent permitted by law, including the Freedom of Information Act.

3. NRA's contain programmatic information and certain requirements which apply only to proposals prepared in response to that particular announcement. These instructions contain the general proposal preparation information which applies to responses to all NRA's.

4. A contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other agreement may be used to accomplish an effort funded in response to an NRA. NASA will determine the appropriate instrument. Contracts resulting from NRA's are subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS). Any resultant grants or cooperative agreements will be awarded and administered in accordance with the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook (NPG 5800.1).

5. NASA does not have mandatory forms or formats for responses to NRA's; however, it is requested that proposals conform to the guidelines in these instructions. NASA may accept proposals without discussion; hence, proposals should initially be as complete as possible and be submitted on the proposers' most favorable terms.

6. To be considered for award, a submission must, at a minimum, present a specific project within the areas delineated by the NRA; contain sufficient technical and cost information to permit a meaningful evaluation; be signed by an official authorized to legally bind the submitting organization; not merely offer to perform standard services or to just provide computer facilities or services; and not significantly duplicate a more specific current or pending NASA solicitation.

(c). Proposal Content. The following information is needed to permit consideration in an objective manner. NRA's will generally specify topics for which additional information or greater detail is desirable. Each proposal copy shall contain all submitted material, including a copy of the transmittal letter if it contains substantive information.

1. Transmittal Letter or Prefatory Material.
   
   1. The legal name and address of the organization and specific division or campus identification, if part of a larger organization;
      
   2. A brief, scientifically valid project title intelligible to a scientifically literate reader and suitable for use in the public press;
      
   3. Type of organization: e.g., profit, nonprofit, educational, small business, minority, women-owned, etc.;
      
   4. Name and telephone number of the principal investigator and business personnel who may be contacted during evaluation or negotiation;
      
   5. Identification of other organizations that are currently evaluating a proposal for the same efforts;
      
   6. Identification of the NRA, by number and title, to which the proposal is responding;
      
   7. Dollar amount requested, desired starting date, and duration of project;
      
   8. Date of submission; and
      
   9. Signature of a responsible official or authorized representative of the organization, or any other person authorized to legally bind the organization(unless the signature appears on the proposal itself).

2. Restriction on Use and Disclosure of Proposal Information. Information contained in proposals is used for evaluation purposes only. Offerors or quoters should, in order to maximize protection of trade secrets or other information that is confidential or privileged, place the following Notice on the title page of the proposal and specify the information subject to the notice by inserting an appropriate identification in the Notice. In any event, information contained in proposals will be protected to the extent permitted by law, but NASA assumes no liability for use and disclosure of information not made subject to the Notice.

   Notice Restriction on Use and Disclosure of Proposal Information The information (data) contained in [insert page numbers or other identification] of this proposal constitutes a trade secret and/or information that is commercial or financial and confidential or privileged. It is furnished to the Government in confidence with the understanding that it will not, without permission of the offeror, be used or disclosed other than for evaluation purposes; provided, however, that in the event a contract(or other agreement) is awarded on the basis of this proposal, the Government shall have the right to use and disclose this information (data) to the extent provided in the contract(or other agreement). This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use or disclose this information (data) if obtained from another source without restriction.

3. Abstract. Include a concise (200-300 word if not otherwise specified in the NRA) abstract describing the objective and the method of approach.

4. Project Description.
   
   1. The main body of the proposal shall be a detailed statement of the work to be undertaken and should include objectives and expected significance, relation to the present state of knowledge, and relation to previous work done on the project and to related work in progress elsewhere. The statement should outline the plan of work, including the broad design of experiments to be undertaken and a description of experimental methods and procedures. The project description should address the evaluation factors in these instructions and any specific factors in the NRA. Any substantial collaboration with individuals not referred to in the budget or use of consultants should be described. Subcontracting significant portions of a research project is discouraged.
      
   2. When it is expected that the effort will require more than one year, the proposal should cover the complete project to the extent that it can be reasonably anticipated. Principal emphasis should be on the first year of work, and the description should distinguish clearly between the first year's work and work planned for subsequent years.

5. Management Approach. For large or complex efforts involving interactions among numerous individuals or other organizations, plans for distribution of responsibilities and arrangements for ensuring a coordinated effort should be described.

6. Personnel. The principal investigator is responsible for supervision of the work and participates in the conduct of the research regardless of whether or not compensated under the award. A short biographical sketch of the principal investigator, a list of principal publications, and any exceptional qualifications should be included. Omit social security number and other personal items which do not merit consideration in evaluation of the proposal. Give similar biographical information on other senior professional personnel who will be directly associated with the project. Give the names and titles of any other scientists and technical personnel associated substantially with the project in an advisory capacity. Universities should list the approximate number of students or other assistants, together with information as to their level of academic attainment. Any special industry-university cooperative arrangements should be described.

7. Facilities and Equipment.
   
   1. Describe available facilities and major items of equipment especially adapted or suited to the proposed project, and any additional major equipment that will be required. Identify any Government-owned facilities, industrial plant equipment, or special tooling that are proposed for use. Include evidence of its availability and the cognizant Government points of contact.
      
   2. Before requesting a major item of capital equipment, the proposer should determine if sharing or loan of equipment already within the organization is a feasible alternative. Where such arrangements cannot be made, the proposal should so state. The need for items that typically can be used for research and non research purposes should be explained.

8. Proposed Costs.
   
   1. Proposals should contain cost and technical parts in one volume: do not use separate "confidential" salary pages. As applicable, include separate cost estimates for salaries and wages, fringe benefits, equipment, expendable materials and supplies, services, domestic and foreign travel, ADP expenses, publication or page charges, consultants, subcontracts, other miscellaneous identifiable direct costs, and indirect costs. List salaries and wages in appropriate organizational categories (e.g., principal investigator, other scientific and engineering professionals, graduate students, research assistants, and technicians and other non-professional personnel). Estimate all staffing data in terms of staff-months or fractions of full-time.
      
   2. Explanatory notes should accompany the cost proposal to provide identification and estimated cost of major capital equipment items to be acquired, purpose and estimated number and lengths of trips planned, basis for indirect cost computation(including date of most recent negotiation and cognizant agency), and clarification of other items in the cost proposal that are not self-evident. List estimated expenses as yearly requirements by major work phases.
      
   3. Allowable costs are governed by FAR Part 31 and the NASA FAR Supplement Part 1831(and OMB Circulars A-21 for educational institutions and A-122 for nonprofit organizations).

9. Security. Proposals should not contain security classified material. If the research requires access to or may generate security classified information, the submitter will be required to comply with Government security regulations.

10. Current Support. For other current projects being conducted by the principal investigator, provide title of project, sponsoring agency, and ending date.

11. Special Matters.
    
    1. Include any required statements of environmental impact of the research, human subject or animal care provisions, conflict of interest, or on such other topics as may be required by the nature of the effort and current statutes, executive orders, or other current Government-wide guidelines.
       
    2. Proposers should include a brief description of the organization, its facilities, and previous work experience in the field of the proposal. Identify the cognizant Government audit agency, inspection agency, and administrative contracting officer, when applicable.
       

1. Renewal proposals for existing awards will be considered in the same manner as proposals for new endeavors. A renewal proposal should not repeat all of the information that was in the original proposal. The renewal proposal should refer to its predecessor, update the parts that are no longer current, and indicate what elements of the research are expected to be covered during the period for which support is desired. A description of any significant findings since the most recent progress report should be included. The renewal proposal should treat, in reasonable detail, the plans for the next period, contain a cost estimate, and otherwise adhere to these instructions.

2. NASA may renew an effort either through amendment of an existing contract or by a new award.

(f). Joint Proposals.

1. Where multiple organizations are involved, the proposal may be submitted by only one of them. It should clearly describe the role to be played by the other organizations and indicate the legal and managerial arrangements contemplated. In other instances, simultaneous submission of related proposals from each organization might be appropriate, in which case parallel awards would be made.

2. Where a project of a cooperative nature with NASA is contemplated, describe the contributions expected from any participating NASA investigator and agency facilities or equipment which may be required. The proposal must be confined only to that which the proposing organization can commit itself. "Joint" proposals which specify the internal arrangements NASA will actually make are not acceptable as a means of establishing an agency commitment.

(h). Withdrawal. Proposals may be withdrawn by the proposer at any time before award. Offerors are requested to notify NASA if the proposal is funded by another organization or of other changed circumstances which dictate termination of evaluation.

(i). Evaluation Factors.

1. Unless otherwise specified in the NRA, the principal elements (of approximately equal weight) considered in evaluating a proposal are its relevance to NASA's objectives, intrinsic merit, and cost.

2. Evaluation of a proposal's relevance to NASA's objectives includes the consideration of the potential contribution of the effort to NASA's mission.

3. Evaluation of its intrinsic merit includes the consideration of the following factors of equal importance:
   1. Overall scientific or technical merit of the proposal or unique and innovative methods, approaches, or concepts demonstrated by the proposal.
      
   2. Offeror's capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques, or unique combinations of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives.
      
   3. The qualifications, capabilities, and experience of the proposed principal investigator, team leader, or key personnel critical in achieving the proposal objectives.
      
   4. Overall standing among similar proposals and/or evaluation against the state-of-the-art.

4. Evaluation of the cost of a proposed effort may include the realism and reasonableness of the proposed cost and available funds.

(k). Selection for Award.

1. When a proposal is not selected for award, the proposer will be notified. NASA will explain generally why the proposal was not selected. Proposers desiring additional information may contact the selecting official who will arrange a debriefing.

2. When a proposal is selected for award, negotiation and award will be handled by the procurement office in the funding installation. The proposal is used as the basis for negotiation. The contracting officer may request certain business data and may forward a model award instrument and other information pertinent to negotiation.