Lunar Gateway Robotics - Canadarm3

Trade Agreement: NONE
Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid
Competitive Procurement Strategy: N/A - P&A/LOI Only
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Nature of Requirements: 

Amendment 004
This amendment serves to notify industry that the second Industry Day and one-on-one meetings, originally scheduled for September 18 and 19, 2019, have been deferred.

Amendment 003
This amendment serves to publish updated information on the September 18, 2019 Industry Day and one-on-one meetings to follow.

Amendment 002
This amendment serves to publish the presentation that was given during the Webinar on August 13, 2019.

Amendment 001
This amendment serves to publish a revised version of the Rules of Engagement.

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INTRODUCTION

The Canadian Space Agency is engaging suppliers in support of the Lunar Gateway robotics requirement. Industry Engagement activities will be used to give vendors an overview of the Gateway Robotics System Concept and support Canada in the development of key requirements, sourcing strategies and project timelines optimization.

BACKGROUND AND ECONOMIC STRATEGY

The mandate of the Canadian Space Agency is to promote the peaceful use and development of space, to advance the knowledge of space through science and to ensure that space science and technology provide social and economic benefits for Canadians. Exploration, Imagination, Innovation: A New Space Strategy for Canada was released on March 3, 2019 and reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to participating in the Lunar Gateway. The strategy highlights Canada’s strength in robotics and aims to leverage technologies developed by Canadian industry to position Canada’s space sector as leaders in the growing global space economy, including the future on-orbit servicing market. 
 
Canada has committed to contributing an Artificial Intelligence-enabled robotic system to the United States-led Lunar Gateway, a new space station to be developed in deep space to support human and robotic exploration of the Moon and eventually for missions to Mars. This new outpost will not be crewed continuously. As such, the smart robotic system, comprising a next-generation space robotic system and ground system collectively known as the Canadarm3, will be used to undertake operations on the Gateway without the presence of astronauts. The Gateway will be developed, serviced, and utilized in collaboration with international and commercial partners; the proposed smart robotic system will perform critical operations on the Gateway, to include logistics, maintenance, and operations of the deep-space outpost, as well as the deployment of science and technology experiments. 

Canada’s Space Strategy Exploration, Imagination, Innovation: A new Space Strategy for Canada can be found at http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/pdf/eng/publications/space-strategy-for-canada.pdf

REQUIREMENT

Though the complete and/or detailed design and manufacturing requirements for the project have yet to be determined, Canada’s initial concept for the Canadarm3 robotic system is proposed to include the following elements:

1. The eXploration Large Arm and its Tools (XLA): Allows the system to perform inspection and maintenance operations, deploy payloads, capture and berth visiting vehicles, support Extra Vehicular Activities (EVAs), reconfigure the Gateway and assemble Lunar Landers. 

2. The eXploration Dexterous Arm (small arm or XDA): Enhances the capabilities of the large arm and performs its maintenance, possibly capable of supporting payload exchanges through a Gateway airlock.

3. Various Robotic Interface Fixtures, Platforms and Receptacles: Needed on the different Gateway modules, components and on the robotic system itself.  These will ensure the required mobility for the two arms to perform their work, enable payload manipulation and provide worksites for experiments.

4. Ground Segment and Robotic Integration: Ground infrastructure that will provide planning, monitoring, commanding, training and visualization functions in support of operating the Robotics system from Canada; Support in integrated planning of Gateway assembly, logistics and utilization; will enable and manage the configuration of external science platforms.

ENGAGEMENT OBJECTIVES

As Canada works to better understand the capabilities within industry and academia and how to best leverage this procurement to ensure strong economic benefits for Canadians, Canada is requesting feedback and recommendations on a variety of technology and procurement topics including, but not limited to, the following: 

1. Technical Considerations

1.1 Where are the opportunities for parsing work into small components for opportunities throughout industry?
1.2 What innovations are on the threshold of application within your organization that could be applied to this project? What new innovations are being explored currently within your organization?
1.3 To your knowledge, what are the technology gaps for a project of this type? What opportunities are there to fill these gaps by leveraging technologies/know-how/experience developed by Canadian industry in other sectors to stimulate technology transfers and maximize Canadian content for this project? 
1.4 What is Canada’s current or potential industry capacity to meet the requirements of the various smaller, technical components?

2. Procurement Considerations

2.1 What procurement approaches best enable industry to meet Canada’s objectives, including technical requirements, schedule, cost and economic benefits?
2.2 How do we ensure a fair and transparent process for future phases of Lunar Gateway?
2.3 Are there opportunities to leverage joint ventures or collaboration with academia and superclusters?
2.4 Are there opportunities for injection of innovation, directed subcontracts or other strategies?
2.5 Are there possibilities to integrate performance incentives into the procurement?
2.6 What elements/areas would most benefit from such incentives?  What would be appropriate levels of incentives?

2.7 Intellectual Property (IP)
2.7.1 How should Canada manage IP developed as a result of this procurement?  
2.7.2 Who should retain ownership of the IP developed as a result of this procurement?
2.7.3 How will IP decisions impact on future commercialization and government operations?

2.8 In-kind contributions
2.8.1 Canada is seeking to motivate industry to bring forward innovative proposals that also seek to have co-investment from industry through in-kind contributions.  What type of in-kind contributions could industry provide?
2.8.2 What would be a suitable percentage of co-investment?

3. Economic Benefit Considerations

3.1 How can Canada best leverage the Lunar Gateway project to ensure maximum economic benefits to the Canadian economy? What are the key considerations?
3.2 What opportunities are there to stimulate innovation, technology transfers (both spin-ins and spin-offs) and commercialization from Canadarm3? Are there specific areas of the Canadarm3 technology that have the strongest commercial follow-on opportunities?
3.3 Where are the key areas for collaborative research (industry, academia and government)? How can Canada leverage collaboration to maximize economic benefits?
3.4 What opportunities are there for ecosystem development (e.g. robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Advanced Materials, in operational systems including ground systems, machine vision, etc.)? 
3.5 How can Canada support the role of small & medium enterprises (SMEs) in the space industry and related technology industries through Canadarm3?
3.6 Are there potential supply chain development opportunities from your point of view?

4. Industry Engagement plan

4.1 What feedback would industry or other stakeholders like to provide on this plan?  Are there additional engagement activities requested or recommended?

FAIRNESS MONITOR

Vendors are advised that Canada has determined that the services of a Fairness Monitor are warranted in support of the engagement and procurement process stages. The Fairness Monitoring Program provides client departments, government suppliers, Parliament and Canadians with independent assurance that Public Services and Procurement Canada conducts its activities in a fair, open and transparent way. Additional information can be found at: http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/se-fm/index-eng.html

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

In order to participate in the Industry Engagement process, potential respondents must return a signed copy of the attached Rules of Engagement to the Procurement Authority indicated below via email. Document distribution will follow a green procurement approach and utilize electronic distribution as appropriate.

ENGAGEMENT APPROACH AND KEY TIMELINES

First Industry Day by Webinar: August 13, 2019
Second Industry Day: To be determined
One-on-one Meetings: To be determined
Draft Request for Proposal (RFP) Review: Late Fall 2019
RFP Issued: Early 2020

FIRST INDUSTRY DAY

Canada held an Industry Day information session via webinar on August 13, 2019 to announce the commencement of engagement activities and present the Gateway Robotics System Concept. This event was led by the Canadian Space Agency with support from Public Services and Procurement Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. A copy of the presentation can be found in the attachment under amendment number 002 of the solicitation documents.

SECOND INDUSTRY DAY AND ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS

Industry Day events originally scheduled for September 18 and 19, 2019, including one-on-one meetings between vendors and representatives of Canada, have been deferred. Once available, information on this opportunity will be provided to industry on buyandsell.gc.ca.

REVIEW OF DRAFT DOCUMENTS

Draft project documents such as Terms and Conditions, Evaluation Plans, Economic Benefit plans, Technical Documentation and/or Statements of Work may be distributed for vendor feedback. These documents will be provided directly to participating vendors via a distribution list and not posted directly on buyandsell.gc.ca.

ADDITIONAL ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Additional Industry Engagement activities may occur at a later date.

Throughout the engagement, Canada will accept questions from industry to discuss specific issues, solutions and/or to revise and refine the requirements. A running list of questions received from industry and answers provided by Canada will be maintained and provided to all industry engagement participants as required. This question and answer document will be provided directly to participating vendors via a distribution list and not posted directly on buyandsell.gc.ca. While representatives of Canada will be aware of which vendors posed which questions, no identifiers will be provided publicly to industry. All questions and answers will be reviewed by members of Canada’s technical, procurement and economic benefit teams, as well as by the Fairness Monitor prior to distribution. Only vendors who have returned a signed copy of the Rules of Engagement via email to the Procurement Authority indicated below can participate in this activity and receive responses from Canada. 

Following the completion of the industry engagement activities, a Summary of Findings and Outcomes document, which will provide an overview of all engagement activities that took place, will be posted on buyandsell.gc.ca. 

NOTES TO INTERESTED FIRMS

This Industry Engagement process is not a bid solicitation and a contract will not result from this process.

Potential respondents are advised that any information submitted to Canada in response to this Industry Engagement process may be used by Canada in the development of a subsequent competitive RFP. 

The issuance of this Industry Engagement process does not create an obligation for Canada to issue a subsequent RFP, and does not bind Canada legally or otherwise, to enter into any agreement or to accept any suggestions from organizations. Canada reserves the right to accept or reject any or all comments received.

Participation in this Industry Engagement process is not a condition or prerequisite for participation in any RFP(s).

Companies participating in this Industry Engagement process should identify any submitted information that is to be considered as either company confidential or proprietary.

All enquiries and other communications related to this Industry Engagement process shall be directed exclusively to the Procurement Authority.

PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY

All enquiries and other communications related to this Industry Engagement process shall be directed in writing as follows:

Bruno Bergeron or Pierre Letendre
Acquisitions Program
Public Services and Procurement Canada 
6767 Route de l' Aéroport
Longueuil (St-Hubert), Quebec  J3Y 8Y9

E-mail address: bruno.bergeron@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca or pierre.letendre@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

CONCLUSION

The Lunar Gateway robotics requirement is a crucial undertaking for Canada as a key component of Canada’s Space Strategy Exploration, Imagination, Innovation: A new Space Strategy for Canada.  Canada will be agile in its approach and seeks industry participation to help ensure that the procurement and delivery of this component is co-designed with industry input and ideas in order to maximize the quality and benefits of the outcome.
Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.