Request for Information on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities in NASA Procurements and Federal Financial Assistance, 21725-21728 [2023-07489]

Agencies

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21725-21728]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07489]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Document Number NASA-23-021; Docket Number-NASA-2023-0001]


Request for Information on Advancing Racial Equity and Support 
for Underserved Communities in NASA Procurements and Federal Financial 
Assistance

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Request for information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is 
issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to receive input from the 
public on the barriers and challenges that prevent members of 
underserved communities (as defined in Executive Order 13985, Advancing 
Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the 
Federal Government, and Executive Order 14091, Further Advancing Racial 
Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal 
Government) from participating in NASA's procurements, grants, and 
cooperative agreements. With this RFI, NASA is seeking for the public 
to provide specific feedback on the procurement, grant, and cooperative 
agreement regulations, policies, practices, and processes that deter

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entities from pursuing opportunities for NASA procurements, grants, and 
cooperative agreements. NASA will review inputs received and may use 
this information to evaluate, implement, modify, expand, and streamline 
procurements, grants, cooperative agreements, regulations, policies, 
practices, and processes to remove systemic inequitable barriers and 
challenges facing members of underserved communities.

DATES: Comments are requested on or before 60 days after publication of 
this RFI. Comments received after this date will be considered for 
future advisory, communication, and outreach efforts to the extent 
practicable.

ADDRESSES: 
     Comments must be identified with the Agency's name and 
Docket Number NASA-2023-0001 and may be sent to NASA via the Federal E-
Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments. All public comments received are 
subject to the Freedom of Information Act and will be posted in their 
entirety at https://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal and/or 
business confidential information provided. Do not include any 
information you would not like to be made publicly available.
     Mail: Comments submitted in a manner other than the one 
listed above, including emails or letters sent to NASA Headquarters 
Office of Procurement (OP) officials may not be accepted.
     Hand Delivery: Please note that NASA cannot accept any 
comments that are hand-delivered or couriered. In addition, NASA cannot 
accept comments contained on any form of digital media storage devices, 
such as CDs/DVDs and USB drives. If you cannot submit your comment by 
using https://www.regulations.gov, please contact (Cheryl Robertson, 
202-358-0667 or [email protected]) for alternate instructions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Issues regarding submissions or 
questions about this RFI should be sent to Cheryl Robertson, 202-358-
0667, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    NASA is issuing a second RFI to receive input from the public 
specifically on NASA's procurement, grant, and cooperative agreement 
regulations, policies, practices, and processes. This is a follow-up to 
the first RFI on this subject, RFI 21-038, which was released on June 
15, 2021. The intent of this RFI is to (1) to determine whether any 
previous conditions have changed in this area; (2) ensure new 
recipients of NASA procurements, grants, and/or cooperative agreements 
have an opportunity to comment; and (3) obtain specific suggestions on 
barriers and challenges that deter underserved communities from 
participating in NASA competitions for procurement, grant, and 
cooperative agreement awards. NASA will review this information and may 
use it to evaluate, implement, modify, expand, and streamline its 
procurement, grant, and cooperative agreement regulations, policies, 
practices, and processes to remove any systemic inequitable barriers 
and challenges facing underserved communities. This effort will enable 
NASA to further execute the President's Executive Orders 13985 and 
14091, entitled ``Advancing (and Further Advancing . . .) Racial Equity 
and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal 
Government'' (Equity E.O.s), signed by the President on January 20, 
2021, and February 16, 2023, respectively. The Equity E.O.s define the 
following terms noted below; these terms are used throughout this RFI:
     ``Equity'' means the consistent and systematic treatment 
of all individuals in a fair, just, and impartial manner, including 
individuals who belong to communities that often have been denied such 
treatment, such as Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native American, Asian 
American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander persons and other 
persons of color; members of religious minorities; women and girls; 
LGBTQI+ persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural 
areas; persons who live in United States Territories; persons otherwise 
adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality; and individuals 
who belong to multiple such communities.
     ``Underserved communities'' refers to those populations as 
well as geographic communities that have been systematically denied the 
opportunity to participate fully in aspects of economic, social, and 
civic life, as defined in Executive Orders 13985 and 14020.
    As required by the Equity EOs, NASA established a 2022 Equity 
Action Plan (EAP). The NASA EAP outlines and reaffirms the Agency's 
strategy to successfully mitigate systemic barriers to equity. Click 
here to see the plan: Mission Equity [verbar] NASA. As stated in the 
EAP, the NASA procurement, grant, cooperative agreement structures, 
processes, and requirements can be perplexing. NASA's Office of 
Procurement (OP) continues to make changes and take actions to remove 
barriers and challenges that hinder prospective contractors (and 
contractors) and prospective recipients (and recipients) of grants and 
cooperative agreements in underserved communities from engaging with 
NASA. Furthermore, OP is determined to remove any identified barriers 
and challenges through the efforts outlined in the NASA Equity Action 
Plan under Focus Area 1, Increase Integration and Utilization of 
Contractors and Businesses from Underserved Communities to Expand 
Equity in NASA's Procurement Process, and Focus Area 2, Enhance Grants 
and Cooperative Agreements to Advance Opportunities, Access and 
Representation for Underserved Communities, to include studying 
barriers and challenges to remove or minimize such barriers and 
increasing outreach efforts to reach members of underserved 
communities.
    The public is encouraged to provide input in response to the 
questions below to assist in improving the Agency's procurements, 
grants, cooperative agreements, and associated regulations, policies, 
practices, and processes. Specifically, members of underserved 
communities are requested to share their perceived barriers and 
challenges, suggestions, and ideas, so that they can become a NASA 
contractor or grant or cooperative agreement recipient that furthers 
NASA's important mission.

II. Discussion of Questions

    NASA OP conducts continuous reviews of procurement, grant, and 
cooperative agreement regulations, policies, practices, and processes. 
In support of E.O.s 13985 and 14091, input is solicited from the public 
to better understand and identify the systemic barriers and challenges 
facing members of underserved communities to access and participate in 
NASA contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements. The information and 
input from this RFI will assist OP in addressing any identified gaps in 
equity and determine how best to advance equity in the procurement and 
grant-making (including cooperative agreements) process to members of 
underserved communities. The following list of questions and topic 
areas are intended to guide the public in this effort:

Outreach/Engagement/Training

    1. How and where can NASA reach contractors and/or grant and 
cooperative agreement recipients that are members of underserved 
communities more effectively? Provide specific sites, points of 
contact, and/or information to

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support NASA outreach to these associations, organizations, or groups.
    2. NASA Office of Small Business Program (OSBP) has numerous 
training opportunities for small businesses. The OSBP Learning Series 
is provided to share additional training to assist with learning how to 
do business with NASA. Is your entity aware of these training 
opportunities? What other type of specific training information does 
your firm need to help it do business with NASA? Are there barriers for 
you to attend these training opportunities? Is in-person or virtual 
training more appropriate or beneficial?
    3. NASA uses various platforms to conduct training that will best 
facilitate information-sharing and the establishment of partnerships 
between NASA and underserved communities. Please share the names of 
platforms which work best and are available to reach members of 
underserved communities. These can be online platforms, organizations, 
conferences, publications, etc.
    4. Provide suggestions how NASA can better collaborate with 
academic research institutions, particularly Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and other Minority Serving 
Institutions (MSI), to advance outreach and increase the number of 
contract, grant, and cooperative agreement awards in these underserved 
communities?
    5. How can NASA ensure that there is full equity in the issuance of 
grant and cooperative agreement awards? Please provide specific 
examples of NASA grant and cooperative agreement policy, process, 
systems, practices that may prevent full equity from being achieved in 
NASA's issuance of grant and cooperative agreement awards.
    6. In considering how NASA announces its Notices of Funding 
Opportunities (NOFOs) for grant and cooperative agreement awards to be 
made (Via Grants.gov, NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review 
and Evaluation System [NSPIRES], the Minority Serving Institutions 
[MSI] exchange newsletter, etc.), where and how can NASA announce NOFOs 
to ensure full equity in opportunity? Please provide examples of 
specific websites and communication avenues.

Barrier Analysis

    1. Are there any specific NASA or Federal Government regulations, 
policies, practices and or processes that have prevented you from 
submitting proposals or being awarded a contract, grant, or cooperative 
agreement with NASA? Please provide specific examples.
    2. If you have received a NASA contract, grant, or cooperative 
agreement in the past, what barriers does/did your organization 
experience in working with NASA to implement the grant, cooperative 
agreement, or contract? Please provide examples of specific 
regulations, processes, procedures, policies, or systems that could be 
improved to ensure full equity in opportunity.
    3. What resources could NASA provide to better assist underserved 
communities in identifying new opportunities to be awarded a contract, 
grant, or cooperative agreement with NASA, or access the Agency's 
programs or data?
    4. What resources could NASA provide to better assist underserved 
communities in properly managing and executing NASA grant or 
cooperative agreement projects?
    5. What challenges do you face when developing and implementing 
procedures to advance diversity and inclusion for underserved 
communities within your research/business?
    6. Have you encountered barriers within NASA's procurement process, 
to include source selection evaluation process, that prevent 
underserved communities from receiving awards of NASA contracts? Please 
provide specific examples.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA)

    1. NASA has amended its Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 
(NASA FAR Supplement--NFS) to include a requirement for the contractor 
to submit DEIA plans under certain NASA contracts.
    What other DEIA suggestions (e.g., requirements, training, etc.) 
should we investigate to ensure our contractors are diligently working 
to include members of underserved communities in their contract awards?
    2. In response to Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity 
and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, 
NASA has included a term and condition in its grant and cooperative 
agreement awards for recipients to obtain at least one quotation from a 
small and/or minority businesses, women's business enterprises, or 
labor surplus area firm when acquiring goods or services that exceed 
the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $250,000). What other 
DEIA suggestions (e.g., terms and conditions, requirements, training, 
etc.) should NASA OP investigate to ensure its grants and cooperative 
agreements include members of underserved communities?

III. Written Comments

    Written responses should not exceed 10 pages, inclusive of a 1-page 
cover page as described below. Attachments or linked resources or 
documents are not included in the 10-page limit. Please respond 
concisely, in plain language, and in narrative format. You may respond 
to some or all questions listed in the RFI. Please ensure your response 
is clear and indicate which question you are responding to. You may 
also include links to online material or interactive presentations, and 
ensure all links are publicly available. Each response should include: 
(1) the name of the individual(s) and/or organization responding; (2) 
policy suggestions that your submission and materials support; (3) a 
brief description of the responding individual(s) or organization's 
mission and/or areas of expertise; and (4) a contact for questions or 
other follow-up on your response. Please note that this RFI is only a 
planning document, and should not be construed as policy, a 
solicitation for proposals, or an obligation on the part of NASA or the 
Federal Government. Interested parties responding to this RFI may be 
contacted for a follow-on strategic agency assessment dialogue, 
discussion, event, crowdsource campaign, or competition.

IV. Review of Public Feedback

    NASA may use the feedback received to help initiate strategic 
plans, consider reforms, and execute reports as required by the Equity 
E.O.s. NASA may use the public's feedback to consider reduction of 
administrative burdens more broadly. Again, this RFI is issued solely 
for information and procurement-planning purposes. Public input 
provided in response to this notice does not bind NASA to take any 
further actions, to include publishing a formal response or agreement 
to initiate a recommended change. NASA will consider the feedback 
received and may make changes or process improvements at its sole 
discretion.
    NASA will continue to dialogue with industry and stakeholders to 
stay connected and engaged on barriers and challenges that impact 
members of underserved communities through periodic issuance of RFIs, 
and participation in industry and

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association meetings, conferences, and other forums.

Julia B. Wise,
Director, Procurement Management and Policy Division, NASA--
Headquarters, Office of Procurement.
[FR Doc. 2023-07489 Filed 4-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-13-P