- The effort covers prototyping, testing and launch support
- Offerors have until Dec. 28 to submit bids
- The 2027 Defense R&D Summit will explore space technologies, AI and more
The Naval Research Laboratory has issued a solicitation for the third iteration of its Space Electronic Systems Prototype Development contract, or SESPD III, a potential five-year, $130 million effort to support research on spacecraft and airborne electronics.
Navy research organizations continue to push forward on emerging space and electronics capabilities for the warfighter. Senior defense officials and industry executives will convene at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2027 Defense R&D Summit on Feb. 4 to discuss unmanned systems, 5G and next-generation wireless capabilities, trusted AI and autonomy, quantum computing and advanced space technologies. Panel discussions will also address assured connectivity in contested environments, multisensor intelligence for the maritime domain, supply chain visibility and research security. Register now to hear from the leaders shaping the future of defense innovation.
According to a solicitation notice posted Tuesday, NRL will accept proposals until Dec. 28.
What Are the Details of the NRL Contract?
NRL plans to award a cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, level-of-effort contract under full and open competition. The contract would have a 60-month ordering period starting on the award date. The government will order at least $1 million in work under the IDIQ, and each task order will range from $10,000 to $50 million.
In 2021, NRL awarded Peraton the potential five-year, $120.7 million SESPD II contract to support spacecraft and airborne electronics research. Work under the award runs through December 2026, according to USAspending.gov.
What Is the Scope of the Space Electronic Systems Work?
The selected contractor will help NRL’s spacecraft engineering division research and build prototypes of spacecraft electronics and other space and airborne electronic systems. Support will span the full project life cycle, from concept development to operational demonstration and technology transition. Tasks include planning, analysis and design; fabrication, assembly and testing of subsystems and experiments; integrated system testing; and launch and mission operations support.
Work will take place at NRL’s Washington, D.C., headquarters, the Blossom Point Tracking Facility and contractor sites. NRL requires the contractor’s assembly facilities to be within 40 miles of the laboratory. Some tasks will require personnel with top secret/sensitive compartmented information clearances.
What Other Efforts Has NRL Pursued Recently?
The SESPD III solicitation follows several NRL contract awards this year supporting the lab’s space and research programs. In August, NRL awarded Riptide Technology a potential $148 million contract to provide command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance research and development support for optimized, integrated operational space and ground systems.
Parsons subsidiary Space Ground System Solutions secured a $245 million contract to provide software, cybersecurity and IT infrastructure support for NRL’s Blossom Point Tracking Facility, a command, control and communications ground station in Maryland. Applied Research Associates landed a $111.5 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to support NRL’s Center for High Performance Computing.
NRL is expanding its quantum research portfolio in line with a White House executive order, with efforts spanning quantum sensing, computing, networking and foundational science.
