; and (2) use such a multi-institution task order contract, consortium, cooperative agreement, or other arrangement to fund technical analyses and other engineering support to address the acquisition, technical, and operational needs of NASA centers. (b) Consultation with other NASA-Affiliated entities To ensure access to technical expertise and reduce costs and duplicative efforts, a multi-institution task order contract, consortium, cooperative agreement, or any other arrangement established under subsection (a)(1) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, be carried out in consultation with other NASA-affiliated entities, including federally funded research and development centers, university-affiliated research centers, and NASA laboratories and test centers. (c) Policies and procedures The Administrator shall develop and implement policies and procedures to govern, with respect to the establishment of a multi-institution task order contract, consortium, cooperative agreement, or any other arrangement under subsection (a)(1)— (1) the selection of participants; (2) the award of task orders; (3) the maximum award size for a task; (4) the appropriate use of competitive awards and sole source awards; and (5) technical capabilities required. (d) Eligible entity defined In this section, the term eligible entity means— (1) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1002 )); (2) an operator of a federally funded research and development center; (3) a nonprofit or not-for-profit research institution; and (4) a consortium composed of— (A) an entity described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3)