ESA Open Invitation to Tender AO9809
Open Date: 10/04/2019
Closing Date: 22/05/2019 13:00:00

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 19.139.05
Prog. Ref.: ExPeRT MarsX
Budget Ref.: E/0116-11M – ExPeRT MarsX
Special Prov.: AT+BE+CH+CZ+DE+DK+ES+FR+GB+GR+IE+IT+NL+NO+PL+PT+RO+SE+CA
Tender Type: C
Price Range: 100-200 KEURO
Techology Domains: Others
Establishment: ESTEC
Directorate: Dir of Human & Robotic Exploration Prog.
Department: Exploration Group
Contract Officer: Ekatomati, Georgia
Industrial Policy Measure: N/A – Not apply
Last Update Date: 10/04/2019
Update Reason: Tender issue

The inputs are key to evaluate at a sufficient detailed granularity, a ROM cost, that ESA can provide to the CMIN2019 for programmatic decisions related to MSRF.The sample-related facility scenario would be as follows:a.The overall sample science and facilitymanagement (of any and all facilities that host samples returned from Mars) would operate under a TBD model of international governance.b.A BSL-4-rated MSRF in the U.S. would be responsible for sample containment until such time as they are deemed safe for release or transfer under containment to another equivalently rated facility.c.Additional uncontained curation facility(s) in the USand/or Europe would exist. A European facility would be able to receive a subset of samples after initial receipt by the US-based MSRF. The European facility may or may not have equivalent containment to the MSRF. If it does, then investigations regarding life detection that are dependent on bio-containment, could be performed in Europe. If it does not, receipt of samples by a European facility would occur after the samples are declared safe, to permit their transfer out of containment.d.Analytic laboratories, led by PIs, located around the world in academic institutions, research institutes, government laboratories, and elsewhere, will desire access to the MSRF and curation (primary) facilities, and eventually if safe, access to samples distributed outside the primary facilities.e.The decision on where to locate the U.S. MSRF or a potential European biocontained facility will need to be made in the context of the local and national laws and optimizing for capabilities; thus, this is not known (or knowable) at this time.