Tab 06 RDSS

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

NASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER

RECOMMENDATION AND DETERMINATION TO SOLICIT FROM ONE SOURCE

OR BRAND NAME

PICK ONE

Sole Source:
☒I recommend that NASA, NASA Shared Services Center negotiate with Thorlabs only for procurement of custom fiber assemblies required to support the SCALPSS 2.0 project. . The total estimated cost of this effort is
and the estimated period of performance is
10/30/2026 -03/30/2027.
OR
Brand Name Justification:
☐I recommend that NASA, NASA Shared Services Center negotiate with only with vendors who can provide the subject brand name from Manufacture Name for Enter Supply or Service to be procured. The total estimated cost of this effort is Enter Dollar amount and the estimated period of performance or lead-time for delivery is Date.
This recommendation is for the acquisition of supplies or services determined to be reasonably available from only one source/only one manufacture. Competition is impractical for the following reasons (please answer the questions below):
1. What are the reasons for soliciting only the suggested source/suggested brand name? Please provide the unique characteristics of the items or services along with the supporting rationale and the market research performed to substantiate your reason for the suggested source/brand name. The required items are custom fiber assemblies built to NASA-specified configurations. •
•
•
•

Custom Part Number: FFH05026-CUSTOM with specialized construction per NASA requirements Hermetically sealed stainless-steel microtube jacket (FT052SSB-SABR), which is not a standard off-the-shelf configuration and requires specialized manufacturing capability Vacuum-compatible epoxies equivalent to MFV1L1, necessary for use in vacuum or high-purity environments and not commonly available in general commercial fiber assemblies. Custom hermetic SMA connectors on both ends, built to special order and not typical catalog components
Tight tolerances on fiber type (FFH05026) and length specifications (±20 cm) that align with NASA test or system-integration requirements.

Market research indicates that other vendors either:
• May not have the parts readily available
• Are not as capable of meeting the 22 week lead time, or • Would require extended sourcing periods that exceed SCALPSS’s allowable integration schedule. • Requires vacuum compatibility, radiation tolerance, mission reliability, and precision optical performance, which significantly narrow the market.