Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition: HelioSwarm Medium-Class Explorers Mission (Contract 80ARC027C0002)
Updated
Justification from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, for work in San Antonio, Texas.
| Solicitation number | 80ARC027C0002 |
|---|---|
| Agency | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| Office | NASA Ames Research Center |
| Notice type | Justification |
| Set-aside | None |
| Trade (NAICS) | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715) |
| Product or service code | AR13 |
| Place of performance | San Antonio, Texas |
| Posted | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Response deadline | Not stated |
Bid documents (1)
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Federal prevailing wage rates for this place: Texas Davis-Bacon and SCA wage determinations.
Description
This notice provides the Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) supporting the sole-source award for HelioSwarm (HS) Medium-Class Explorers (MIDEX) mission. This mission is a transformative mission designed to explore the three-dimensional, dynamic mechanisms controlling the physics of plasma turbulence, a ubiquitous process occurring throughout the heliosphere and the plasma universe at large.
The required period of performance is November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. NASA/ARC has awarded Contract 80ARC027C0002 to Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(a)(1), “Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.” SwRI is the only responsible source capable of performing the requirements of this action because SwRI is the only responsible source that can continue to meet vital HS requirements and this procurement directly supports achieving mission objectives already selected and funded by NASA HQ.
Contracting contact
- Sophia Mo · [email protected]
As published on the official notice. Ask questions in writing and before any questions deadline the notice sets.
Is your business small enough?
For NAICS 541715, a business counts as small if it has no more than 11 employees (SBA size standard, with exceptions in the notes). This notice is not set aside, but the size decides your small business status on it. SBA table, current as of Oct 15, 2026.
Awards under this solicitation
- SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE San Antonio TX $19.9 million · Oct 29, 2026
Companies that win this kind of work
Federal contractors paid for research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences work, who also hold NASA contracts (last 12 months): possible competitors, or partners to team with.
- California Institute Of Technology $2.2 billion in this trade
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- Booz Allen Hamilton Inc $791.0 million in this trade
About the buyer
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration awarded $16.8 billion in contracts in the last 12 months; its biggest suppliers were California Institute Of Technology, The Boeing Company and Blue Origin, LLC. See what NASA is buying now.
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences contracts right now
There are 272 open government contract opportunities in this trade (NAICS 541715), 43 posted in the last 7 days; 30% are set aside for small businesses. The agencies buying the most are Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Most of the work with a stated place is in Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia. A notice in this trade gives a median of 52 days from posting to deadline.
All open research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences contracts
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From the award notices agencies publish.