National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO)

National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) is sponsored by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Proposals are solicited to manage and operate the NOAO, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center.

NSF 13-582: National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Archived funding opportunity This solicitation is archived. Important information for proposers and award recipients All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the funding opportunity and in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and its supplements .

All NSF grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the applicable set of NSF award terms and conditions . NSF has updated its research security policies for NSF funded projects. NSF 13-582: Management and Operation of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) Download the solicitation (PDF, 0.

7mb) National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences Division of Astronomical Sciences Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p. m. submitter's local time): Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.

m. submitter's local time): Important Information And Revision Notes NSF intends to conduct site visits to NOAO operational sites in Chile and Arizona for representatives of potential proposing organizations. The visits are expected to take place in September 2013, and will be guided and managed by NSF staff.

The visits are voluntary for proposers, but they will be an opportunity for potential proposers to view the facilities and to acquire information relevant to the development of a proposal. Attendees will be responsible for their own expenses. Additional detail on the site visits, such as dates, times, locations, number of participants, will be available from the Cognizant Program Officer.

Eligible organizations that are interested in submitting a proposal and wish to send representatives to the site visit should email the Cognizant Program Officer by 15 August 2013. Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) ( NSF 17-1 ), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 30, 2017.

Summary Of Program Requirements National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) Proposals are solicited to manage and operate the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). NOAO is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by a managing organization under cooperative agreement with NSF.

NOAO is a national center for research in ground-based, nighttime, optical and infrared (O/IR) astronomy for the U.S. astronomical community.

NOAO's core mission is to facilitate access for all qualified professional researchers to state-of-the-art observational capabilities and data bases in O/IR astronomy, and to enable the U.S. research community to pursue a broad range of modern astrophysical challenges from small bodies within the Solar System, to the most distant galaxies in the early Universe, to indirect observations of dark energy and dark matter.

The awardee will work closely with NSF and the scientific community to ensure that NOAO continues to support, sustain and advance frontier science as enabled by unique research capabilities and as promoted through a culture of excellence.

In cooperation with NSF and within available resources, NOAO will plan and execute a viable, coherent and inclusive program to facilitate research and education, consistent with the objectives and priorities of the scientific community. The awardee will manage facilities and equipment provided by NSF in accord with the scope and funding described in this solicitation.

NOAO is a multidisciplinary and multiuser resource, and its programs will be carried out in collaboration with its stakeholder communities.

Proposals should describe how the proposing organization(s) will provide access to observing capabilities and scientific data; facilitate an integrated program of research, education, training and outreach; maintain instruments, facilities and infrastructure; manage and develop a skilled and diverse workforce; and establish appropriate partnerships with academic institutions, industry, private organizations and the international community to support the NOAO mission.

Within available resources and as consistent with the expectations and criteria identified in this solicitation, the successful proposal will present a compelling, sustainable vision for NOAO that supports an optimal suite of community-driven research and education activities through effective structures for management and operations.

Cognizant Program Officer(s): Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact. Vernon L.

Pankonin, W9164, Elizabeth A.

Pentecost, W9152, Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences Anticipated Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement for the Management and Operation of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory Estimated Number of Awards: Anticipated Funding Amount: $200,617,888 The projected total for the 10-year duration of the award, starting 01 October 2015, subject to the availability of funding.

Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: Universities and Colleges - Universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in, the US acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic institutions.

Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities. For-profit organizations: U.S. commercial organizations, especially small businesses with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education. There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI: Proposal Preparation and Submission Instruction A. Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent: Submission of Letters of Intent is required. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) guidelines apply. The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www. nsf.

gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp? ods_key=pappg .

Full Proposals submitted via Grants. gov: NSF Grants. gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.

gov guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants. gov Application Guide is available on the Grants. gov website and on the NSF website at: https://www.

nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp?

ods_key=grantsgovguide ). Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Other Budgetary Limitations: Other budgetary limitations apply.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p. m.

submitter's local time): Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p. m. submitter's local time): Proposal Review Information Criteria National Science Board approved criteria.

Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Award Administration Information Additional award conditions apply.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is authorized by the National Science Act of 1950, as amended, to initiate and support basic and applied scientific research and to initiate and support programs to strengthen scientific research potential. To achieve these goals, NSF supports facilities that provide research capabilities in various scientific disciplines.

One such facility, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) provides services and facilities to support research in ground-based optical and infrared (O/IR) astronomy.

NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST) has determined that in order to implement its strategic programmatic goals for supporting O/IR astronomy in the next decade, to accommodate the changing needs of the astronomical community, to preserve high priority components of its portfolio, and to do this under constrained budget projections, there must be a funding reduction at NOAO that results in a re-baselined scope, and the mission adjusted accordingly.

Anticipated NSF funding for future management and operations of NOAO is reduced relative to recent levels. NSF intends to fully fund the baseline scope as defined in Section II. A.

3 in this solicitation. Proposing organizations are encouraged to present creative, but realizable, plans to deal with the budget exigencies imposed on the baseline scope. This solicitation is solely for the management and operation of NOAO.

Management and operation of the International Gemini Observatory and management of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) construction project are not included in this solicitation. The concept of LSST operations and its management will be an evolving effort during LSST construction. Hence, LSST operations is not a component of this solicitation.

A . Description of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory NOAO is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), sponsored by the NSF and operated by a managing organization under cooperative agreement with NSF. NOAO is a national center for research in ground-based, nighttime, optical and infrared astronomy for the U.S. astronomical community.

NOAO's core mission is to facilitate access for all qualified professional researchers to state-of-the-art observational capabilities and data bases in O/IR astronomy, and to enable the U.S. research community to pursue a broad range of modern astrophysical challenges from small bodies within the Solar System, to the most distant galaxies in the early Universe, to indirect observations of dark energy and dark matter.

NOAO serves as a national resource for the scientific community. NOAO operates administrative, laboratory, and O/IR facilities at locations in Arizona and in Region IV (Coquimbo) of northern Chile, and manages observatory sites at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile.

It is the gateway for the U.S. astronomical community to the International Gemini Observatory through the U.S. National Gemini Office (US-NGO), and to other U.S. O/IR telescopes that offer public access. It coordinates community access to telescopes throughout the U.S. O/IR system, and it facilitates connecting the scientific user to the data repository by developing and maintaining data management capabilities.

NOAO integrates community planning for facilities and instrumentation under a national organization. It manages national community involvement in the development of potential future facility and infrastructure projects. NOAO has participated in the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) project from its inception and is currently involved in the design, development, and future construction of LSST.

A large number of U.S. colleges and universities operate their own astronomical facilities at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona and at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile with contracted supporting services provided by NOAO.

Development of new telescopes, instrumentation, and sensor techniques by NOAO is carried out in partnership with universities and with industry through subawards to aerospace, optical fabrication, and information technology companies. NOAO leverages NSF support with funding from other federal agencies and non-federal sources.

In FY 2012, in addition to NSF base operations and maintenance funding, NOAO received $10,300,000 for reimbursed services from partnerships and tenant observatory support, from the Kitt Peak Visitors' Center, from NSF grants for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, and grants from other federal agencies.

In addition to facilitating research by the scientific community, the NOAO Education and Public Outreach (EPO) program promotes public understanding of science, education, and training at all levels, especially within groups that have been historically underrepresented in the U.S. physics and astronomy science enterprise. NOAO has a diverse education program, visitor centers, and a web-based information portal at www. noao.

edu . Many of the education and outreach activities are funded from sources outside of the NOAO base operations and maintenance budget, such as public donations and grants from other NSF programs. Much of the public visitor program is self supporting through visitor fees.

In the new award period, NOAO should focus on its role as a national-level resource for the community. As a national center, NOAO is expected to integrate service to the community into its mission and to add value to the U.S. astronomy enterprise through facilitating community access to observational capabilities, post-observational services, and management of data bases.

NOAO may retain on-staff technical and engineering expertise that is made available to the community. The cost of work for others must be fully and equitably allocated to those cost objectives. This contract expertise may assist the community in developing instrumentation and supporting resources for facilities that they own and operate.

Transformation from Current NOAO (NOAO-2013) to New NOAO (NOAO-2016) The FY 2013 NOAO operations and maintenance (O&M) budget from NSF/AST is $25,500,000. The budget target for FY 2016 is $17,500,000. This section outlines the process for the transformation of NOAO-2013 to NOAO-2016.

With guidance from NSF, AURA will finalize an NOAO transformation plan that is to be carried out in FY 2014 and 2015. The Program Plan for the transformation is to be submitted to NSF in October 2013. It will be posted in the Resource Library for this solicitation and updated as needed.

The transition should be substantially complete by the end of FY 2015. The primary consequence of the decreased funding for NOAO is a reduction or discontinuance of activities which results in a significant reduction from current levels in personnel carried on NSF funds for NOAO O&M.

Since the guidance budget level for NOAO is such a significant reduction from current levels, proposing organizations should take great care in matching staffing in their proposed operation to available funding. Current staffing levels will be reported in the Resource Library that NSF will maintain for prospective proposers. The one exception to the transformation schedule given above is with regard to the Mayall telescope on Kitt Peak.

Mayall operations costs are not included in the baseline NOAO budget for FY 2016 (Sec. 3). However, NSF anticipates that it may be necessary to continue NSF funding for Mayall operations through FY 2016 and possibly FY 2017 in order to facilitate a smooth transition to an anticipated new funding source.

In this event, NSF will add supplementary funds to the Kitt Peak operations budget in 2016 and possibly 2017 that are targeted specifically to continue Mayall operations at a constant level of effort and to bridge the Mayall from NSF support to a new source of operating funds. If these NSF funds are necessary, they will be an addition to the baseline O&M funding for NOAO. The amount of NSF funds needed may not be known until 2015.

Proposers should not include operation of the Mayall in the baseline scope of their proposal. Nevertheless, they should describe how they would handle continued operation of the Mayall as an add-on from NSF in the first two years of the award for continuing the current operations model, and then in subsequent years providing contracted NOAO technical services in support of operating the Mayall with a non-NSF source of funding.

The status of the Mayall will be kept up-to-date in the Program Plan for the transformation that is posted on the Resource Library. This section describes the scope for NOAO that NSF intends to fund through this solicitation and to which responders to this solicitation should propose to manage, and provides guidance on the allocation of the budget.

In defining the baseline scope, NSF considers NOAO to be comprised of three major administrative units: NOAO Core - scientific, technical, administrative integration & coordination (currently at NOAO headquarters in Tucson, AZ) Kitt Peak Operations - Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO); all responsibilities on the mountain Chilean Operations (CO) - La Serena labs and administrative offices; Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO); Cerro Pachón facilities Proposers are welcome to describe other organizational structures for NOAO as long as they are consistent with and support the NOAO mission.

NSF/AST anticipates providing $17,500,000 total O&M funding for NOAO for FY 2016. As guidance for distributing these funds across the organization, proposers should limit the allocation of funding for Kitt Peak Operations to a target of about $1,000,000 per year and for Chilean Operations to a target of about $7,500,000 per year. Within the NOAO Core, approximately $700,000 must be budgeted for the U.S. National Gemini Office (US-NGO).

NOAO Core. NSF has determined that within a total NOAO annual O&M budget of $17,500,000, a target of approximately $9,000,000 is an appropriate allocation to maintain the basic core, central observatory functions, and operate as a national resource for consolidated services to the community.

The NOAO Core performs the integration of the scientific, technical, and administrative support functions that serve the organization as a whole, as well as provide services to the community. NOAO Core functions are at present co-located with the NOAO headquarters offices and labs in Tucson, AZ, but that need not be the case in the new award period.

The Tucson facilities are located in buildings owned by the NSF on the campus of the University of Arizona. The National Solar Observatory (NSO), Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST), and LSST project share office and laboratory space with NOAO, and each pays its share of the building operating costs.

NOAO Core functions should include items such as central administration and business services, including human resources and management costs and fees; environment, safety, & health (ES&H); physical plant (building) operating costs; information transfer and communications (ITC) systems; central instrumentation labs; and community support services, such as the US-NGO.

Other NOAO Core functions that proposers might consider include community/system science and data center, including data management; facilitating community access to current and future facility and instrument capabilities; community/system technology and instrumentation development; covering the costs of public access time on telescopes on Kitt Peak; engagement with, and coordination of, the O/IR system; strategic and long-range planning for the field; and education and public outreach (EPO).

With due consideration of the guidance provided, potential managing organizations are free to propose to allocate the budget to cover the core functions as they believe to be most effective. Proposers are encouraged to (re)define the services to be provided to the community within the available budget. No NOAO base funds are targeted for the LSST project in 2016.

There are currently funds in the NOAO Core for LSST design and development. However, FY 2014 or 2015 is expected to be the last year for that funding line, provided that LSST enters the NSF MREFC line during one of those years. Continuing funding for LSST design and development is provided by NSF through a separate funding stream to the LSST Project Office through AURA.

It is unlikely that the budget for the Core will be sufficient to accommodate an in-house scientific research staff. Proposing organizations are encouraged to provide creative ideas on ways and means of engaging community scientists in NOAO planning and operations. The US-NGO provides services to U.S. astronomers who propose to use one or both of the Gemini Observatory 8.

2-meter telescopes located on Mauna Kea, HI, and Cerro Pachón in Chile. The US-NGO is a unit within NOAO, and the funding for the service functions is included in the NOAO base budget. The scope of the US-NGO and the funding for that scope are determined through discussion among Gemini management, NOAO, and NSF.

It is expected that the US-NGO will continue to be supported at a level between $500,000 and $700,000 per year (to be determined between NSF and the managing organization) out of the NOAO base budget.

The services currently include assisting community members with all phases of proposal preparation, understanding instrumental capabilities, planning observations, awarding of telescope time for the U.S. community, data acquisition, and data reduction. O/IR system support activities are to be included in the NOAO Core.

NOAO facilitates access to other U.S. ground-based O/IR telescopes whereby time on non-federal telescopes is made available to the community, most recently through NSF funding via the Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP) and the Renewing Small Telescopes for Astronomical Research (ReSTAR) program.

While both the TSIP and ReSTAR program are not currently active, a number of public access nights on non-federal telescopes made available through these programs remain to be assigned because of still pending instrumentation or telescope development. NOAO conducts merit reviews of proposals for such telescope time and assigns the time via their Time Allocation Committee (TAC) process.

Kitt Peak Operations are expected to be administered through the NOAO subunit Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). KPNO is located approximately 56 miles (90 km) southwest of Tucson, Arizona, and situated on approximately 2,308 acres (935 hectares) of land on Kitt Peak leased to NSF by the Tohono O'odham Nation for as long as the "premises are used for astronomical study and research or related scientific purposes."

NSF reaffirms a need to maintain the Kitt Peak infrastructure for astronomical research and public outreach for the foreseeable future. NSF expects KPNO to be the steward of all astronomical research and public outreach activities on Kitt Peak that are within the geographic area of the lease that NSF has with the Tohono O'odham.

In this capacity, KPNO will maintain the basic infrastructure for the tenants to carry out astronomical research on their facilities, be responsible for implementing environmental, safety, and health practices on the mountain, and maintain a working relationship with the Tohono O'odham. Services include water supply, utilities, telecommunications (including internet), physical plant and roads maintenance.

To the extent practicable, the costs of these services will be reimbursed to KPNO through tenant fees. NOAO is currently preparing a Kitt Peak Mountain Operations Model in which all telescope facilities on the mountain will be considered to be tenants. The Model fully describes and costs all of the services to be provided to tenants.

Tenant agreements for services will be posted on the Resource Library. The Mountain Operations Model will be part of the NOAO Transformation Plan, and it will be posted on the Resource Library. KPNO may also maintain a basic pool of on-staff engineering and technical expertise to be contracted to tenants, but only to the extent that full costs are recovered from tenant contracts.

Although NSF/AST will not provide base operations support for any telescopes on Kitt Peak, it will retain title to telescopes it currently owns while their operating costs may be paid by non-NSF sources.

If funds are available in the NOAO budget or from other sources and if the demand is adequately justified, NOAO may arrange to cover the incremental operating costs to obtain observing time on any tenant telescope to be made available to the community as open access time. The Awardee will oversee KPNO's role in managing the Mountain Operations Model.

NSF estimates that funding at a target of $1,000,000 should be sufficient to carry out KPNO's baseline stewardship responsibilities, in which all facilities on Kitt Peak are considered to be tenants. There is one caveat to the funding target for KPNO. As described in section II.

A. 2, NSF may need to add some funding in support of Mayall operations through FY 2016 and possibly FY 2017 as a bridge to a non-NSF source of funding. The level of funding may not be known until 2015.

KPNO currently hosts the facilities of consortia which operate more than 20 telescopes ( http://www. noao. edu/kpno/tenants ).

These tenants reimburse NOAO, on a cost-recovery basis, for infrastructure support as well as technical services. The 4-m Mayall telescope is owned by NSF, but after 2016 it will no longer be operated solely as a community access telescope. NSF has received a letter from the Department of Energy (DOE) indicating that the Mayall telescope is their preferred site for hosting a Mid-Scale Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument.

NSF and DOE currently are working to determine the terms and conditions under which the Mayall telescope may be made available for the DOE project. In this event, NSF would retain ownership of the telescope, the non-NSF funds would be used to provide support to NOAO for maintenance and operation of the telescope, and the Mayall would be treated as a tenant facility on Kitt Peak.

NOAO may retain scientific and technical involvement in projects conducted on the Mayall and other telescopes on the mountain and in data obtained from projects, depending on availability of telescope time and funding (from NOAO or otherwise) and on community driven interest in open access time. The other major telescope on Kitt Peak is the WIYN 3. 5-m.

The WIYN telescope is operated by a consortium comprising University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, Yale University, and NOAO. WIYN delivers excellent image quality, and its performance benefits from newer technology in telescope and dome design, and mirror support.

Currently NOAO directly supports WIYN operations and has a 40% share in the WIYN telescope time, which is made available for community access through the NOAO Time Allocation Committee (TAC) process. However, it is expected no NSF funds will be used to support the base operation of WIYN during the new award period. The 2.

1-m telescope on Kitt Peak is owned by NSF and is currently operated for community access by NOAO with NSF funds. It is expected that during FY 2014 or 2015 the telescope will either be closed or operations taken over by non-NSF funding sources. NSF expects to retain ownership of the 2.

1-m even if there is a non-NSF source of funding for operations. Chilean Operations (CO) include a complex of astronomical telescopes, instruments, labs, and administrative offices.

The facilities include offices and labs in La Serena, Chile (about 300 miles (500 km) north of Santiago), as well as astronomical observing sites on Cerro Tololo (Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, CTIO) and on Cerro Pachón, approximately 37 miles (60 km) from La Serena.

NOAO operates in Chile under Chilean law, through an Agreement with the University of Chile and under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile. The Agreement is posted in the Resource Library. All of the land on which NOAO's Chilean facilities reside is owned by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), a U.S. non-profit corporation.

The La Serena compound is approximately 32 acres (13 hectares), and the properties on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón total approximately 91,500 acres (37,000 hectares).

The current Cooperative Agreement (CA) between NSF and AURA stipulates: In the event that AURA ceases to be the managing organization for the NOAO Project, AURA agrees that it shall enter into a lease agreement with a successor managing organization(s) designated by NSF . . .

Such lease arrangement will be made available to the successor organization(s) at a rate of $1 per year for as long as such property is used and maintained for astronomical research. NSF anticipates an annual budget at a target of approximately $7,500,000 for Chilean Operations should be sufficient for NOAO's stewardship and telescope operations responsibilities in Chile.

Chilean Operations is responsible for operating the 4-m Blanco Telescope on Cerro Tololo and the 4. 1-m Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope on Cerro Pachón, about 9 miles (15 km) from Cerro Tololo and the office and laboratory infrastructure in La Serena. The stewardship responsibilities are to maintain basic infrastructure and support services for the tenants.

The costs to Chilean Operations of providing this support will be reimbursed by the users in the form of fees and contracts for services to the extent practicable, all according to agreements in place between NOAO and the tenants. Gemini Observatory and LSST project facilities are also located on the AURA owned property in La Serena and on Cerro Pachón, and NOAO Chilean Operations provides services on a cost reimbursable basis.

The Blanco telescope is primarily available for community open access time. Beginning in late 2013, 105 nights per year on the Blanco will be dedicated to the Dark Energy Survey for a five-year period. Outside of the time dedicated to the survey, there is community time available using the Dark Energy Survey camera and other instrumentation designed to exploit the capabilities of the telescope.

The SOAR telescope is operated by a partnership comprising NOAO, Michigan State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia, e Inovação of the Federal Republic of Brazil. NOAO has a 30% share of the time on SOAR, which is made available to the astronomical community through the NOAO Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC) process.

The SOAR partnership agreement runs through 2018. According to the provisions of the agreement, approximately $2,000,000 per year of the NOAO Chilean Operations budget goes to the operation of SOAR. The future of the SOAR partnership beyond 2018 will be the subject of discussions and negotiations among the current partners and NSF.

In addition to the telescopes it operates directly, NOAO's Chilean Operations provides services to more than 10 other telescopes and astronomical projects as tenants on a cost reimbursable basis. The list is included in the Resource Library. NOAO receives a modest amount of telescope time for community access on some of these telescopes.

NOAO also hosts non-astronomical activities such as a seismic station of the University of Chile. B. Description of Awardee Responsibilities The Awardee shall be responsible for the management, operation, and maintenance of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in accordance with the proposal submitted in response to this solicitation and according to Annual Program Operating Plans submitted to NSF.

The Awardee shall be responsible for the overall welfare of NOAO and for maximizing the benefits to the astronomical community of NOAO resources. Note that, as described below, the Awardee shall be the employer of NOAO base operations staff, including Chilean employees, in accordance with the labor laws of the country or state of the site of employment.

The Awardee shall be responsible for the planning, initiation, and execution of programs and activities designed to optimally serve the interests of the U.S. scientific community involved in ground-based O/IR astronomy. The Awardee will work closely with NSF and the astronomical and broader science community to ensure that the activities carried out at and by NOAO strongly reflect community needs and priorities.

In discharging these responsibilities, the Awardee shall ensure that the character and reputation of NOAO as a national resource are maintained, and that it enables first-rate visitor and archival research, while also pursuing leading community-based initiatives in the relevant disciplines.

More specifically the Awardee is responsible for: Operating and maintaining the NOAO buildings and facilities, developing and incorporating new facilities, planning for future new initiatives, supporting a skilled and diverse work force and sustaining an innovative and vigorous program of basic and applied research in support of the astronomical and related sciences.

The overall performance of NOAO and for ensuring that, within the resources available, NOAO fulfills all aspects of its mission with a visionary and productive program of world-class services, infrastructure and