Every reason behind the verdict rather than the headline one — which of your certifications match, how much runway is left, whether the work is your size, and what we would need to know to sharpen it.
Written against this notice and what you have told us about your company. Anything we do not know is marked [NEEDS INPUT] in the draft rather than guessed at — read it before you send it.
Start a free trial to draft these. Nothing is sent to an agency on your behalf, ever — you get a document to review, edit and submit yourself.
Compliance matrix
Every stated and implied requirement, its source section, whether it is mandatory, and where your response will address it.
Proposal outline
A submission skeleton where every required element is a heading with its source requirement quoted beneath it. You write the substance; nothing gets forgotten.
Questions to submit
Genuine ambiguities and requirements that disadvantage a smaller bidder, drafted as questions you can submit before the Q&A deadline.
Past performance write-ups
Which of your prior awards best match this requirement, and draft write-ups in the format the agency asked for.
Solicitation details
Solicitation number
NNH26ZDA011O
Notice type
Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
NAICS
54171
Product service code
AR11
Set-aside
Unrestricted
Posted
2026-08-06
Response deadline
Sep 10, 2026, 3:59 AM UTC
Contracting contact
dan.moses@nasa.gov
Market intelligence
Account requiredWho wins this work, and what it pays
Comparable awards under NAICS 54171 at this agency — the incumbent, what they were paid, when their period of performance ends, and the real pricing distribution rather than the headline number. From public federal award records.
Amendment #1: This SAM.gov update 1) announces the release of revised final text for the “Astrophysics Explorers Program 2026 Small Explorer (SMEX)” AO and 2) adds a copy of the text of an August 2026 NSPIRES e-mail sent to SMD List Serv subscribers. Please open and carefully review the attachment named “6AugustEmail.pdf” under the Attachments/Links section of this notice. The proposal due date remains unchanged. For complete details, visit the link named “Final Ful Text NNH26ZDA011O” under the Attachments/Links section of this notice. End of Amendment #1. On or after this SAM.gov notice, the final text for the Announcement of Opportunity (AO) 2026 Astrophysics Small Explorer (APSMEX) will be available for download from the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) at https://nspires.nasaprs.com. Click on the word “Solicitations” at the top of the NSPIRES landing page and then on the next page enter the number “NNH26ZDA011O” in the search box or use the direct URL provided below. This “Description” is not a complete or verbatim summary of the AO. It is the responsibility interested parties to visit and monitor regularly the two listed internet sites (links) for any amendments or other updates. Please also open and carefully read the attached PDF file named “9JuneEmail.pdf”. The 9JuneEmail attachment is copy of the text that NSPIRES sent to Science Mission Directorate (SMD) List Serv subscribers and includes other and earlier, important dates such as for the submission of a MANDATORY Notice of Intent (NOI) and a virtual Preproposal conference that are prior to the listed Date Offers Due. After reading the full AO on NSPIRES, please address any comments and questions only via email to both the primary and alternative points of contact listed and use " APSMEX26” in the subject line.
Contact
Point of contact
Daniel Moses, APSMEX26 Lead Program Scientist
Role
not stated on this notice — SAM publishes a role for only about 5% of them, so this may be a contract specialist rather than the contracting officer
Email
dan.moses@nasa.gov
Secondary
omar.torres@nasa.gov
Submit questions
Ambiguities and requirements worth clarifying, written as questions you can send before the deadline.
Opens in your own mail client, addressed and with a subject line — you write the message. GovSprint never sends anything on your behalf.
Emails open in your mail client and are sent from your address, so the reply comes back to you and the exchange stays yours. Confirm the correct channel and any question deadline on the notice before sending — many solicitations require questions in a specific way.
