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Solicitations | 1998
STTR Phase I Solicitation | Chapter
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Small Business Technology Transfer 1998 Program Solicitation
1.1 Introduction
1.2 NASA STTR Program Concept
1.3 Features of the Three-Phase STTR Program
1.4 Program Eligibility
1.5 Access to NASA STTR Program Information
1. STTR Program Description
1.1 Introduction
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invites Small Business
Concerns (SBC), as defined in section 2.3, in
collaboration with a Research Institution (RI), as defined in section
2.2, to submit Phase-I proposals for cooperative research under this solicitation for
the 1998 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. The NASA STTR Program is
designed as a vehicle for converting the nation's investment in research carried out by
research institutions into new commercial technologies, in order to advance U.S. economic
competitiveness and high-tech economic development.
Subject to the availability of funds, NASA plans to select about 30 proposals in July
1998 for negotiation of a Phase-I fixed-price contract. NASA anticipates that about 40
percent of these Phase-I projects will be selected for Phase-II development.
Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation must be jointly developed by a
SBC and a RI, and must include all relevant documentation as required in Section 3.0. Not less than 40 percent of the work (amount
requested including cost sharing, less fee, if any) is to be performed by the SBC as the
prime contractor, and not less than 30 percent of the work is to be performed by
the RI.
1.2 NASA STTR Program Concept
The NASA STTR Program is a three-year, three-phase program for meeting NASA program
needs and for converting technology resident at a RI into the commercial marketplace
through the entrepreneurial talents of a SBC. Proposals submitted in response to this
solicitation must present a technology commercialization concept, which is applicable to
the 1998 Research Topics and NASA Centers shown below.
1.3 Features of the Three-Phase STTR Program
1.3.1 Legislative Basis. The legislative basis for this solicitation is the Small
Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-564, October 28,
1992.) It amends Section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638). On August 10, 1993,
the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a Policy Directive for the general conduct
of STTR Programs within the Federal Government.
1.3.2 Program Funding. The current law authorizes agencies participating in the STTR
Program to expend with small business concerns not less than 0.15 percent of their
extramural Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) budgets in FY 1998. The NASA STTR
Program budget will therefore be about $5.7M in FY 1998.
1.3.3 STTR Program Phases. The NASA STTR Program consists of the following three
phases:
Phase-I. The purpose of Phase-I is to
determine the scientific, technical, and commercial merit and feasibility of the proposed
cooperative R/R&D effort, and the quality of the small business concern's performance
with a relatively small agency investment before consideration of further Federal support
in Phase-II. NASA funding for each Phase-I contract is limited to $100,000. Contractors
will have up to 12 months to submit their final report. Successful completion of Phase-I
objectives is a prerequisite to Phase-II selection.
Phase-II. The object of Phase-II is to
continue the R/R&D effort from Phase-I. Only SBCs awarded Phase-I contracts are
eligible for Phase-II STTR funding agreements, and only at the Federal agency which
awarded the Phase-I project. Awards will be based on the scientific, technical, and
commercial merit and feasibility of the idea, as evidenced by the first phase, and by
other relevant information. Funding for each Phase-II contract will be limited to
$500,000. Contractors will have up to 24 months to submit their final report.
Phase-III. In Phase-III, the small
business is expected to use non-Federal capital to pursue private sector applications of
the R/R&D effort. In addition, NASA may award non-STTR funded follow-on contracts for
products or services which meet its mission needs. The competition for Phase-I and
Phase-II awards satisfies any competition requirement of the Competition in Contracting
Act for subsequent NASA Phase-III contracting.
1.4 Program Eligibility
Each offeror submitting a proposal must qualify as a SBC for R/R&D purposes at the
time of award. The SBC will submit a proposal for cooperative research and development as
defined in Section 2.0 of this solicitation. For both Phase- I
and Phase-II, the R/R&D work must be performed in the United States.
1.5 Access to NASA STTR Program Information
1.5.1 Questions About This Solicitation. To ensure fairness, questions relating to the
intent and/or content of research topics in this solicitation cannot be answered during
the Phase-I solicitation period beginning March 2, 1998 and ending May 14, 1998. Only
questions requesting clarification of solicitation instructions and administrative matters
will be answered.
1.5.2 Questions Regarding Proposal Status. Evaluation and selection of proposals will
require about three months after the closing date of May 14, 1998. Except for a
acknowledgment of proposal receipt (to be e-mail within 30 days of the closing date),
information about proposal status will not be available until final selections are
announced (Section 6.5).
1.5.3 Other Means of Contacting NASA STTR.
Each of the field centers have their own home pages including strategic planning and
SBIR/STTR information. Please consult these home pages for more details on the technology
requirements within the product areas.
1) Help Line. All inquiries, requests, and help-related questions may be made by :
telephone (301)-918-1980 between 8:30am-5:00pm (Mon-Fri, EST),
facsimile (301)-918-8154, or
email sttrsupport@lan.alliedtech.com
Regardless of the Help Line method used, the requestor must provide name and telephone number of person to contact, organization name and address, and the specific questions or requests.
2) NASA STTR General Information Contact. Requests for general information about the NASA STTR Program should be mailed to:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Paul Mexcur, Code 710.3
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771