Special Notice – Lease of the Vehicle Assembly Building, High Bay 1

Introduction : The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Kennedy Space Center (KSC), is requesting letters of interest from U.S domestic entities for lease of Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), High Bay 1 (HB1), for launch operations, including ground operations, pre-launch integration, checkout, and spacecraft or payload testing at KSC. The KSC Master Plan (https://masterplan.ksc.nasa.gov/) contemplates both U.S. Government and commercial launch activities at KSC. The Center Planning and Development Directorate (CPD) develops, implements, and administers the KSC Master Plan. Periodically CPD conducts market research and seeks industry comment on specific aspects of the KSC Master Plan. Purpose : The purpose of this Special Notice (SN) is to identify U.S. domestic entities interested in leasing VAB HB1 as part of an end-to-end concept of operations for launch and processing activities at KSC. NASA will only consider uses of VAB HB1 that involve the processing of launch or landing vehicles built to operate in, place in, or return from Earth orbit or outer space a payload or human beings. The VAB is capable of accommodating multiple users performing concurrent, discrete activities. NASA will not consider uses of the VAB HB1 that will preclude use of other high bays. NASA will not provide office space incident to use of VAB HB1. NASA conducted market research in 2021 for use of VAB High Bay 2. NASA has decided not to proceed at this time with an agreement or competitive selection process for use of High Bay 2. NASA is considering leasing the VAB HB1 in “as is” condition, for a term of one, two-year base period and one, two-year option period. The information NASA receives in response to this SN will inform its strategy for lease of VAB HB1. NASA will retain ownership and control of the facility and will act as the site operator/integrator for maintenance of the facility and equipment. In addition, NASA must review and approve any modifications to the VAB HB1. Users of facilities at KSC must comply with NASA and KSC procedures and policies regarding badging, background investigation requirements, foreign national access, and unescorted access to controlled areas. The VAB perimeter and other launch processing facilities are equipped with electronic security controls that must remain in place. Modifications that are or may be necessary for use of VAB HB1 : Power (Substations Related) – Substations in VAB Tower E provide power to both HB1 and HB3. New feeds and substations are required to isolate HB1 from HB3. Power (Annex Related) – Requirements in excess of existing capacity will require a new Medium Voltage feed from the VAB utility annex or the C-5 substation for high voltage or new dedicated substation. Operations – All facility commodity modifications need to be coordinated through the KSC outage process. Fire Detection – Fire detection and Simplex systems will need upgraded to comply with life safety code. Fire detection modifications cannot take place in the VAB during any critical operations. Modifications to VAB HB1 must be completed without interfering with NASA operations in the VAB. Summary of other conditions to use VAB HB1 : Fire Suppression and associated study – A study of HB1 is required to determine whether flow rates are sufficient to meet NASA and OSHA standards or if a full-scale modification ( e.g. , larger pumps, etc.) will be necessary. Introducing hazardous operations may require a 2-hour enclosure for Pump stations (Tower A 10th and 20th floor), in which case the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) will determine how to proceed. Explosives Safety and associated study – Blast control modifications may be required. The tenant must conduct a blast mitigation study to determine potential impacts to the entire building. Depending on the study results, NASA’s explosives Safety Program Manager may require that the tenant construct a blast barrier between high bays to isolate HB1 from High Bay 2 and High Bay 3. The type of barrier will depend on the commodities used by the tenant. Security – Several levels in HB1 will need security and breakout gates. Coordinate with AHJ to assure proper exiting. Amenities – There are no restrooms in D tower. The tenant may desire to modify D tower to add restrooms or other facilities. Structural – There is limited space in HB1 due to Space Shuttle/Apollo platforms, which may be removed or modified for reuse. Coordination with the facility structural team is required. Structural – If the tenant requires use of the horizontal door, refurbishment of the threshold may be necessary. Response Instructions : Submit responses in Portable Document Format (PDF) via email to the NASA Point of Contact identified below. Responses must not exceed one (1) page. Responses should acknowledge the proposed term of a two-year base period and two-year option as acceptable or propose an alternative minimum term. Font must be Times New Roman, size 12. Responses must be received by the NASA Point of Contact no later than 4:30 pm Eastern Time on June 27, 2022. NASA will acknowledge receipt of timely responses. Responses must be labeled with a proprietary data notice, if “proprietary data” is included. “Proprietary data” means data embodying trade secrets developed at private expense or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential, and that includes a restrictive notice, unless the data is: known or available from other sources without restriction; known, possessed, or developed independently, and without reference to the proprietary data; made available by the owners to others without restriction; or required by law or court order to be disclosed. NASA will protect such data from public disclosure to the extent permitted under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other laws and regulations. Additional Information: Except for acknowledging receipt of timely responses, NASA does not intend to reply to individual responses. NASA reserves the right to conduct additional market research, which may include communicating with respondents. NASA will not provide information concerning or developed in the course of its deliberative process. NASA requests this information for planning purposes only. It does not intend to publicly disclose responses. This SN does not constitute a Request for Proposals, Invitation for Bids, Request for Quotations, or Announcement for Proposals, or a promise to issue such documents. This SN is not an offer or commitment by the Government to enter into a contract or other type of agreement. Moreover, the Government will not pay for the information submitted in response to this SN, nor will the Government reimburse respondents for costs incurred to prepare responses to this SN. NASA will use the responses to gauge market interest and determine whether it is in the Government’s best interest to issue a competitive Announcement for Proposals (AFP) for lease of VAB HB1. NASA reserves the right not to conduct a competitive selection process if, based on the response to this SN, NASA determines that it is not in the Government’s best interest. NASA reserves the right to amend or withdraw this SN at any time. It is the responsibility of each respondent to monitor SAM.gov.