Bolden: Competitive Agreements Will Help Keep U.S. Commercial
Space Program On Track
NASA on Thursday announced a modified competitive procurement
strategy to keep on track the agency’s plan to have U.S.
companies transport American astronauts into space instead of
outsourcing this work to foreign governments. Instead of awarding
contracts for the next phase of the Commercial Crew Program, the
agency plans to use multiple, competitively awarded Space Act
Agreements. Using competitive Space Act Agreements instead of
contracts will allow NASA to maintain a larger number of partners
during this phase of the program, with the flexibility to adjust
technical direction, milestones and funding.
This flexibility is important during a period of high budget
uncertainty when NASA is receiving less funding than President
Obama requested for the agency’s commercial space program.
"NASA is committed to ensuring that U.S. companies are sending
American astronauts into space," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
said. "This new acquisition strategy will allow us to preserve
competition as we maintain our momentum to provide a U.S.-based
commercial crew launch capability at the earliest possible
time."
This competitive Space Act solicitation is separate from the
work being carried out under existing Space Act Agreements. The new
competition will focus on an overall system design rather than
single technology activities. Details on the new competition will
be available in January.
The announcement for proposals is expected in the first quarter
of 2012. These competitively awarded Space Acts will be followed by
a competitively awarded contract for the certification phase. The
certification phase will ensure that the designs fully meet the
safety and performance requirements for NASA utilization.
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