Set-Aside Pulse: Three 8(a) buys worth a quick triage (NASA peer review support, NAVFAC BOS, IHS postage)

Executive takeaway

This week’s 8(a) set-aside pulse includes one potentially high-value professional services competition (NASA HQ’s NRESS III), one large-scale base operations support requirement where the real story is in the attachment (NAVFAC Quantico BOS), and one practical item to generally avoid unless you can credibly break a sole-source position (IHS postage meter replenishment tied to a specific machine/provider).

What the buyer is trying to do

NASA HQ: NRESS III (80HQTR26R0002)

NASA Headquarters is recompeting/fielding the next iteration of NASA Research and Education Support Services (NRESS) III. The notice frames the program as supporting multiple mission directorates and focuses on services that enable NASA’s peer review life cycle and related research/education/outreach initiatives that create participation opportunities across education institutions, businesses, and individuals.

NAVFAC Atlantic: BOS at MCB Quantico (N6247026R0020)

NAVFAC Atlantic is soliciting Base Operations Support (BOS) services for U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia and outlying areas supported by the installation. The notice directs offerors to a PDF attachment for details.

Indian Health Service: Postage meter replenishment (IHS1520774)

The Great Plains Area Indian Health Service posted an intent to award a sole source firm-fixed-price purchase order to replenish funds on a postage meter for the Fort Thompson Health Care Center (Fort Thompson, SD). The notice states the postage is tied to a Pitney Bowes machine and asserts only one source can provide the needed postage to operate it. The stated period of performance is sixty days from award, and the notice includes an estimated value of $10,000.

What work is implied (bullets)

NRESS III

• Professional support services for the NRESS program supporting NASA’s peer review life cycle
• Information technology support and related services tied to that lifecycle
• Support spanning multiple NASA mission directorates (as described in the notice)
• Enablement of research, education, and outreach initiatives, including participation opportunities for education institutions, businesses, and individuals

BOS at Quantico

• Base operations support services for MCB Quantico and outlying supported areas (verify scope in attachments)
• Performance requirements, service areas, and standards are likely defined in the referenced PDF (verify in attachments)

IHS Postage replenishment

• Provide postage funding/replenishment for an on-site postage meter used for clinic operations
• Support continuity of care communications (mailing prescriptions and medical information)
• Work is constrained to compatibility with the existing Pitney Bowes postage machine per the notice

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

Bid if…

• You are an 8(a) firm with credible depth in professional services plus IT support aligned to a structured, high-volume process (NRESS III’s peer review lifecycle focus)
• You have BOS delivery capabilities and can resource a base plus outlying areas once the PDF scope is confirmed (Quantico BOS)
• You are a Pitney Bowes-authorized provider (or can otherwise legitimately supply the required postage mechanism) and can meaningfully challenge the sole-source rationale with “clear and convincing evidence,” as the IHS notice requests

Pass if…

• You cannot demonstrate relevant process support + IT support experience for a peer review lifecycle environment (NRESS III)
• You cannot staff/manage a BOS program after reviewing the PDF (or if the attachment indicates capabilities you don’t have)
• You are not positioned to overcome a brand-tied sole-source posture (IHS postage), or the cost to pursue exceeds the small estimated value

Response package checklist (bullets; if unknown say “verify in attachments”)

NRESS III (80HQTR26R0002)

• Confirm proposal instructions and volumes (verify in attachments)
• Technical approach addressing professional support + IT support for the peer review lifecycle (verify in attachments)
• Past performance requirements and recency/relevancy definitions (verify in attachments)
• Staffing/management plan expectations (verify in attachments)
• Pricing format and contract type (verify in attachments)
• Representations and certifications and any required forms (verify in attachments)

BOS Quantico (N6247026R0020)

• All submission instructions, evaluation factors, and scope details (verify in PDF attachment)
• Site/service-area requirements including outlying areas (verify in attachments)
• Any required management plans, safety/environmental requirements, and performance metrics (verify in attachments)

IHS Postage (IHS1520774)

• A response package that demonstrates “clear and convincing evidence” that a sole source award would not be advantageous and that competition would not be cost/time prohibitive, as stated in the notice
• Documentation showing ability to supply postage for the referenced machine/provider constraint (verify acceptable evidence in attachments/notice)
• Any required quotation format and submission instructions (verify in attachments)

Pricing & strategy notes (how to research pricing; do not invent pricing numbers)

NRESS III

• Start by mapping the work to the notice’s three buckets: professional support, IT support, and related services supporting the peer review lifecycle; build a labor mix hypothesis only after reviewing the solicitation attachment(s).
• Research comparable NASA HQ professional services buys by searching the solicitation number and program name in public sources (and in BidPulsar) to understand typical labor categories and pricing structures used for HQ support contracts.
• Strategy: emphasize efficiency and throughput for peer review lifecycle support (as described), but keep claims tied to what you can document in past performance.

BOS Quantico

• Do not price until you’ve extracted the service matrix and performance requirements from the PDF attachment.
• Build pricing around measurable service deliverables and the geography (base + outlying areas), then validate assumptions with whatever workload data is provided in the attachment.

IHS Postage

• The notice states an estimated value of $10,000 and a 60-day period of performance from award; treat this as a low-dollar action where pursuit cost can exceed upside.
• If contesting the sole-source intent, focus your “clear and convincing evidence” on feasibility, timing, and compatibility—only to the extent you can support it with verifiable documentation.

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• NRESS III: Consider teaming between a prime with NASA/HQ-facing program management strength and subs that can cover IT support elements needed for the peer review lifecycle (verify the boundaries in the solicitation).
• BOS Quantico: If the attachment reveals a broad BOS scope, pair a BOS prime with specialty subs aligned to the service lines and any outlying-area coverage requirements (verify in PDF attachment).
• IHS Postage: If you are not the asserted sole source, partnering with the machine/provider ecosystem may be the only practical path—otherwise, deprioritize.

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• NRESS III: The notice spans multiple mission directorates; confirm whether the solicitation expects multi-stakeholder support beyond NASA HQ and how that affects staffing (verify in attachments).
• NRESS III: “Peer review life cycle” language implies process rigor and schedule sensitivity; avoid proposing tools/processes you can’t support with evidence.
• BOS Quantico: Scope is effectively unknown without the PDF; treat this as a “no-bid until attachment is reviewed” item.
• IHS Postage: Explicit sole-source rationale tied to Pitney Bowes; challenging it without strong documentation is unlikely to be worth the effort.
• IHS Postage: The notice indicates the Government will not be responsible for costs incurred responding; keep pursuit cost tightly bounded.

Related opportunities

• NRESS III RFP 80HQTR26R0002
• Base Operations Support (BOS) at MCB Quantico (N6247026R0020)
• IHS Intent Notice: Postage meter replenishment (IHS1520774)

How to act on this

1. Pull the attachments for NRESS III and the BOS Quantico notice; don’t commit bid resources until you’ve confirmed scope and proposal volumes.
2. Run a fast capability gate: can you prove past performance for peer-review lifecycle support + IT support (NRESS III) or full BOS delivery (Quantico)?
3. Set a pursuit budget for the IHS postage item; only respond if you can credibly address the sole-source claim with documentation.
4. If you want a second set of eyes on bid/no-bid and a compliant response plan, engage Federal Bid Partners LLC for capture and proposal support.

Published by Taylor Nguyen, Capture Strategy Analyst.