Solicitation
Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator (LEIA) -Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) NextSTEP-3 Appendix A - Final Solicitation
National Aeronautics and Space Administration · Sol. 80GRC026R0008
Due in 5 days
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NASA Glenn Research Center is soliciting proposals under the NextSTEP-3 Broad Agency Announcement (Appendix A, LEIA) to mature five lunar infrastructure technologies toward TRL 5-6 through ground demonstrations: vertical solar array, oxygen from regolith, radioisotope Stirling generator, in-space advanced manufacturing, and nanomaterials production. Offerors write their own work plan; NASA expects one or more firm-fixed-price awards (about 1 to 3 per topic) of up to 3 years, performed at the contractor's own facilities. Proposals are due October 15, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT.
Watch out for
- Deadline changed; older documents show October 8. The cover letter and Amendment 1 still say proposals are due October 8, 2026, but Amendment 2 and the notice extend the due date to October 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM EDT, so use October 15.
Extend the proposal due date to October 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM EDT
- Very technical R&D work with high entry bar. Each topic requires advancing complex hardware (nuclear power, regolith oxygen plants, space manufacturing) to TRL 5-6 with test facilities, essential personnel and a full proposal per topic, which is hard for a small firm without prior space R&D.
Each Topic constitutes a separate competitive opportunity under this solicitation authority.
- Few awards, NASA picks a portfolio. Only about 1 to 3 awards per topic are expected, and the selecting official can choose proposals other than the highest rated, so a strong proposal may still lose.
NASA expects to award approximately one (1) to three(3) awards per Topic
- Partial awards and no formal debrief. NASA may fund only part of your proposal or a shorter period, and offerors only get informal feedback after award, with no formal debriefing.
NASA reserves the right to select only a portion of a proposed activity, (i.e. a level of support
- Very large proposal package. The business volume alone may run up to 450 pages, plus separate technical, price (Excel with working formulas), OCI plan and certifications for each topic.
1. Update the page limitation on the business volume from 135 to 450.
- Question period closed and key documents not reviewed. Questions closed September 11, 2026; two Q&A batches, the main solicitation text, the model contract and several attachments were not available to this summary, so important requirements may be missing.
NASA will post any Q&A on
Read from the notice and 12 attachments. 18 not read in full.
- Final Request for Proposal (RFP) Cover Letter.pdf
- Relationship to Other NASA NextSTEP-3 Solicitations (Scope Boundary).pdf
- 80GRC026R0008 SF30 Amendment 1.pdf
- NextSTEP-3 Appendix A - Solicitation -Amendment 2.pdf
- NextSTEP-3 Appendix A - Solicitation -Amendment 1.pdf
- Attachment B4-Topic 4-System Requirements-Amendment 1.pdf
- Attachment C- Model Contract - Amendment 1.pdf
- Attachment A1 - Topic 1 -Statement of Objectives.pdf
- Attachment A2- Topic 2- Statement of Objectives.pdf
- Attachment A3-Topic 3 -Statement of Objectives.pdf
- Attachment A4-Topic 4-Statement of Objectives.pdf
- Attachment A5-Topic 5-Statement of Objectives.pdf
- 80GRC026R0008 SF30 Amendment 2.pdf: scanned PDF: no text to read
- Attachment H -Statement of Work Template.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attchment I - International Participation Plan.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attachment K - Government Task Agreement Instructions and Template.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- NextSTEP-3 Appendix A - Final Solicitation.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Responses to Questions for NextSTEP-3 BAA Appendix A LEIA - Batch 2.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Responses to Questions for NextSTEP-3 BAA Appendix A LEIA - Final Batch 1.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attachment B1- EHP-10069_Rev A_Final.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attachment B2 -Topic 2-Technical Performance Measures.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attachment B4-Topic 4-System Requirements.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attachment C- Model Contract.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attachment D - Pricing Template.xlsx: spreadsheet: not read yet
- Attachment E - Representations and Certifications.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attachment G - Eligibility Certification for Participation of International Team Members.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attachment J- DRD Title Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI) Plan.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Model Contract Att 1 -Pre-Award.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Model Contract Att. 2 DRD - Security Requirements for Unclassified IT Resources.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
- Attachment F - Eligibility Certification and Supplemental Information Form.pdf: over the file limit for one brief
Full brief
What they want
- Topic 1: Mature a Vertical Solar Array system (electrical integration, thermal control, 120 Vdc / 6 kW external power exchange over a 100 m cable) from TRL 4 to TRL 5-6
- Topic 2: Integrated Oxygen-from-Regolith ISRU system demonstration with validated models, performance data and scaling assessments
- Topic 3: Design a high-efficiency Radioisotope Stirling Generator (50-150 We, at least 20% efficiency) and build and test an electrically heated prototype, plus a draft regulatory pathway
- Topic 4: Integrated in-space manufacturing system (microgravity or reduced gravity) with monitoring, fault management and a full manufacturing workflow, from TRL 3-4 to TRL 5
- Topic 5: Scale up nanomaterial production (fiber-like and sheet-like assemblages) and demonstrate structural and non-structural space components
- A Work Plan written as a Statement of Work, milestones, reviews, deliverables, final reports (limited and public versions) and continuation reviews for each CLIN
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (milestone payments in the model contract); one or more awards under a Broad Agency Announcement appendix; each of 5 topics is a separate competition
- Period of performance
- Maximum duration of award 3 years; contract effective immediately on award, anticipated November 2026. Offerors may propose a Base CLIN plus priced Option CLINs and a long-lead option
- Place of performance
- Offsite at the contractor's facilities (USA)
- Contract vehicle
- NASA NextSTEP-3 BAA Omnibus, Appendix A (LEIA), Solicitation 80GRC026R0008; full and open competition
- How they'll choose
- Portfolio-style best value: proposals are rated on technical merit and presented to the Source Selection Authority, which balances topics, technical diversity, risk and budget. Technical Merit is significantly more important than Price; price and business volume are not scored. Awards are not tied to the most highly rated proposals.
- Offers due
- October 15, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT (extended by Amendment 2 from October 8, 2026)
- How to submit
- Electronically through NASA's Enterprise File Sharing and Sync Box (EFSS Box); follow the 'Electronic Proposal Delivery - Proposal Marking and Delivery Through NASA's EFSS Box' instruction in the solicitation. Questions go to Contracting Officer Linda M. Nabors, linda.m.nabors@nasa.gov
- Page limits
- Business volume limit raised from 135 to 450 pages by Amendment 1; limits for the technical and other volumes were not in the text provided
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical merit, including milestones and deliverables, schedule, proposed work plan (SOW and CLIN structure), organizational readiness (critical capabilities and foreign dependency), essential personnel and risk mitigation (full list of earlier technical factors is in a part of the solicitation that was not provided)
- Price (not scored; price analysis, consistency with the technical approach and completeness of the Excel pricing model)
- Business volume (not scored; risks are passed to the Source Selection Authority)
What to include when you submit
- Submit one separate, complete proposal for each Topic you bid on (one proposal per Topic as prime)
- All documents in Adobe PDF except the Price Volume exhibits, which must be Microsoft Excel with working cell formulas (Attachment D pricing template)
- Include a Work Plan written as a Statement of Work (Attachment H template) and a proposed CLIN structure (Base CLIN plus optional Option CLINs allowed)
- Offeror's CAGE code must match the corporate address on the proposal
- Submit the Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Plan with the proposal (Attachment J); complete Representations and Certifications (Attachment E), Eligibility Certification (Attachment F) and, if using international team members, Attachments G and I
- Government Task Agreement instructions and letter of intent are in Attachment K (added by Amendment 1)
You must have
- Prime offeror must be a U.S. organization (industry, university or non-profit); non-U.S. organizations may only join as subcontractors/team members, and NASA funds cannot pay for their R&D
Eligible Offerors under this Appendix include all categories of U.S. organizations, including
- CAGE code matching the corporate address submitted with the proposal; SAM registration also expected
Offerors are required to have a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code that
- Full and open competition, no set-aside; NAICS 541715 with a 1,500-employee size standard (a subcontracting plan may be required at award if applicable)
NASA will conduct this acquisition as a full and open competition.
- Starting technology maturity must match the topic (for example Topic 3 requires TRL 3-4 with supporting evidence); export-control (ITAR/EAR) compliance and, for non-U.S. team members, an International Participation Plan
required that technologies start at a TRL of 3-4
Not in the notice text
- Section 10 proposal format and content rules (volume structure, page limits other than the business volume, EFSS Box steps) were in a part of the solicitation not provided
- Full list and order of the technical evaluation factors (only the later sub-factors were visible)
- Funding amount or price range per award or per topic (not stated)
- Details of the CLIN structure, Option CLINs and Section 4.1.1 foreign-participation restrictions
- Contents of the Q&A batches (September 21 and October 1) and of the scanned SF30 for Amendment 2
- Attachments not read: model contract, pricing template (Excel), Representations and Certifications, eligibility forms, SOW template, Attachment K, EHP-10069 and Topic 2 technical measures
- Whether a small business subcontracting plan will be required (only 'will be incorporated at award, if required')
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Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 15, 2026, 9:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Oct 9, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Solicitation
- 80GRC026R0008
- Agency
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Office
- NASA Glenn Research Center
- Set-aside
- No Set aside used
- NAICS
- 541715
- Product/service code
- AR12
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research
- Contracting contact
- Linda M Naborslinda.m.nabors@nasa.gov
- Versions
- 5 (amended since first posted)
What similar contracts paid
759 contracts at this agency for the same NAICS and product/service codes had activity in the last 5 years, according to USAspending.gov. Small businesses won 18% of the dollars in this market over the last 3 fiscal years.
Typical contract$2.2MMiddle half: $775K to $7.7M
Typical per year$662KValue divided by years of performance
Before you respond
Full notice text from SAM.gov
See attached documents for informationregarding Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator (LEIA) -Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) NextSTEP-3 Appendix A - Final Solicitation. The final solicitation (and any potential amendments to the final) are the controlling documents for this effort. In the event of a discrepancy between the draft, any questions and answers posted, and the final solicitation, the final solicitation is the controlling document. All questions regarding this solicitation should be submitted in writing, electronically to Linda M Nabors, Contracting Officer, at linda.m.nabors@nasa.gov on or before September 11, 2026, 5:00 EDT. Offerors are encouraged to submit questions as soon as possible for consideration. The NASA Center Point of Contacts For Goverment Task Agreements is listed in Attachment K Please note an Industry Day will NOT be held. 10/09/2026 -Amendment 3 Posted and Responses to Questions for NextSTEP-3 BAA Appendix A LEIA - Batch 3 Posted 10/01/2026- Responses to Questions for NextSTEP-3 BAA Appendix A LEIA - Batch 2 Posted 09/25/2026 - Amendment 2 - Extend the proposal due date to October 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM EDT. 09/21/2026 - Amendment 1 and Responses to Questions for NextSTEP-3 BAA Appendix A LEIA - Final Batch 1 Posted 09/08/2026 - Final Solicitation Posted
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