LaRC Contractors Steering Council Meeting – July 15, 2021

Join us for the virtual Langley Contractor’s Steering Council (LCSC) meeting Thursday, July 15, at 2:00 pm. This month’s LCSC meeting will feature a Directorate Update from STED, as well as a Return to Onsite Work/LaRC Office of Procurement update from Susan McClain, Director of the Office of Procurement.

Please use the link below to join the meeting.

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

Our meeting will address these topics:

  • Welcome and Opening Comments
  • VASBA Update– Laura Blumberg
  • LaRC Office of Procurement (OP) Update – Susan McClain
  • Return to Onsite Work (RTOW) Update – Susan McClain
  • Small Business Update – Rob Betts
  • Partnerships Update – Carrie Rhoades
  • Space Technology and Exploration Directorate (STED) Update – David Dress
  • LCSC Election Results
  • Special Topics and Look Ahead

NASA LaRC Transition to Stage 2 on July 12, 2021

LaRC Deputy Center Director Dave Young requested that the following announcement be shared with LaRC Contractors Steering Council members.

Effective Monday, July 12, Langley Research Center will transition to Stage 2 of the Agency Framework for Return to On-site Work.

At this time, the Federal occupancy limit remains in place, which means that we will not see immediate changes to the level of on-site work. However, this transition prepares us for when the Agency is approved to expand capacity beyond 25%. It also positions us for Stage 1.

Like our previous transitions, your health, safety, and well-being remain our top priority and as such we have used a methodical, risk-based, and data-driven approach to decide when we can responsibly move to Stage 2. As outlined in the June 29 Town Hall:

  • The local region meets all COVID-19 criteria for Stage 2.
  • At the beginning of June, the seven-day testing positivity in Virginia was 2.3% and region 5 was 4.0%. All localities within the Langley catchment area showed a seven-day case rate per 100,000 below 10/100,000 putting region 5 at Low Transmission rate.
  • All facilities and systems on-site are available to meet mission requirements.
  • Center Operations has implemented multiple facility COVID-19 mitigations, including increased HVAC ventilation, purchased 90 touchless water fountain bottle fillers (33 installed to date) and installed HVAC MERV-13 filters and 50 bipolar ionization units for HVAC air handler units. The LENEL access control system also remains available for contact tracing.

Additionally, we will monitor and follow guidance provided via the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force.

What remains the same from Stage 3

On-site projects activities must be approved through the Return to On-site Work (RTOW 2.0) process. Employees who must be on-site to perform their work may return with center/supervisor approval. All other personnel will continue to telework.

We will continue to actively manage who is accessing the center in order to adhere to capacity limitations and ensure contact tracing protocols are in place, if needed.

All personnel will follow the latest facility safety protocols.

What changes from Stage 3

The work that will be allowable on-site will expand beyond mission critical activities with Directorate level approval.

You can review the latest guidance from the Agency regarding travel for fully vaccinated personnel by clicking here.

Visitors required for approved on-site activities will be allowed with Directorate level approval.

We will continue to review options for food service, daycare, and the fitness center.

To facilitate the transition on July 12, we are updating our return to on-site work materials. We appreciate your patience as we work through this process.

Our ability to transition is in large part due to your vigilance, in our work and in the community during this challenging time. Stay tuned for additional guidance as the Agency works through the Federal occupancy limit and we continue to make strides in our transition.

NASA HQ Announces Public Meeting on Mission Equity, Request for Information on July 13 at 1:00 PM

Rob Betts requested that the following announcement from NASA Headquarters be shared with LaRC Contractors Steering Council members.

NASA’s public meeting to discuss its recently issued request for information (RFI), entitled Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities in NASA Programs, Contracts and Grants, will take place at 1:00 PM EDT Tuesday, July 13.

The RFI is part of NASA’s Mission Equity, a comprehensive effort to assess agency programs, procurements, grants, and policies, and examine what potential barriers and challenges may exist for communities that are historically underrepresented and underserved.

The public meeting will begin with opening remarks from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other agency officials and guests who will discuss the many ways the public can participate in NASA’s mission. This portion of the event will air live on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.

Following this, at 2 p.m., NASA will host five breakout sessions that address specific avenues of participation and partnership with the agency. Registration is required for participation in a breakout session.

NASA is seeking public feedback as it conducts a thorough review of its programs, practices, and policies to assess:

  • Potential barriers that underserved and underrepresented communities and individuals may face in agency procurement, contract, and grant opportunities.
  • Whether new policies, regulations, or guidance may be necessary to advance equity and opportunities in agency actions and programs.
  • How agency resources and tools can assist in enhancing equity, to include increasing access to critical environmental data that help increase quality of life for all.

Areas in which the agency would like to receive comments include:

  • Opportunities for NASA to Leverage its Data, Expertise, and Missions to Help Underserved Communities.
  • Barriers/Gaps to Accessing Current NASA Grants, Programs, and Procurements.
  • Engagement and Outreach with Organizations and Individuals from Underserved and Underrepresented Communities.

On January 20, the White House issued Executive Order 13985, entitled Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, asking federal agencies to assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate barriers to opportunities and benefits underserved groups.

In response, NASA’s Mission Equity and the public comments submitted in response to this RFI will help foster NASA’s vision to benefit the quality of life for all on Earth; NASA’s mission to explore, use and enable the development of space for human enterprise through research, development and transfer of advanced aeronautics, space and related technologies, economic growth and security, and educational excellence; and NASA’s goal to enrich our nation’s society and economy with a fair and equitable approach.

Underserved and underrepresented communities include: Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; LGBTQ+ persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. For more information about NASA’s Mission Equity, please visit https://www.nasa.gov/mission-equity.

NASA Release 21-089 Mission Equity Public Meeting