80AFRC26C0003-JOFOC_Redacted.pdf

Rev.: 10/2025

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC)

For 80AFRC26R0006 Reduced Gravity Test Bed

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.104-1(a)(1) – Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Justification for other than full and open competition.”

This document is a justification for other than full and open competition prepared by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) AFRC.

The procuring agency is NASA, and the contracting activity is AFRC.

2. FAR 6.104-1(a)(2) – The nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This justification provides the rationale for contracting by other than full and open competition to award a sole-source contract to Denmar Technical Services, Inc. for feasibility assessment, maintenance, modifications, and painting required for the Reduced Gravity Test Bed Project in support of the agency need for performing validation testing on Space Suits in support of the Artemis program.

3. FAR 6.104-1(a)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

NASA requires Denmar Technical Services, Inc. to conduct a feasibility assessment to determine the Boeing 737-73W’s suitability to perform the NASA reduced gravity mission;

modify the aircraft cabin, if required, to support reduced gravity operations; perform overdue maintenance and inspections, perform airworthiness restoration tasks, and paint the aircraft exterior with NASA identifiers. The estimated value is with a period of performance from June 1, 2026 to October 1, 2026.

4. FAR 6.104-1(a)(4) – An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C.

3204(a)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.103-1 Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. FAR 6.104-1(a)(5) – A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

Rev.:10/2025

The rationale supporting the use of 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1) is that Denmar Technical Services, Inc. is currently performing work on the aircraft with another Government Agency and has specific knowledge of the airworthiness status and classified modifications performed on this aircraft as described below. Because this effort represents a continuation of highly specialized services, pursuing a competitive approach would cause unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency’s requirements.

The Boeing 737-73W is owned by the United States Air Force (USAF). Denmar Technical Services, Inc. has specialized knowledge of this Boeing 737-73W aircraft as they are currently contracted by the USAF to modify the aircraft under a classified military program.

NASA does not have a ‘need to know’ regarding the details of the current modifications being made under the USAF contract and therefore is unable to provide modification details to another contractor or provide another contractor with access to the aircraft. The USAF will transfer ownership of the aircraft to NASA upon completion of the closeout tasks. Denmar Technical Services, Inc. is uniquely positioned to close out work under their existing obligations while performing the feasibility assessment, maintenance, and any modifications required under this action. Additionally, due to the constrained timeline for the NASA Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program’s space suit testing for Artemis, NASA requires the assessment and overdue maintenance to be performed immediately upon contract award and any subsequent aircraft modifications to be complete no later than October 1, 2026. The timeline can only be supported if this requirement is fulfilled concurrently with the USAF closeout tasks.

6. FAR 6.104-1(a)(6) – A description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by part 5 and, if not, which exception under part 5 applies:

A notice to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (Sam.gov) was published on April 8, 2026, in accordance with FAR part 5. This posting informed potential sources of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source contract to Denmar Technical Services, Inc. The results of this synopsis are summarized in Section 10 below.

7. FAR 6.104-1(a)(7) – A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable:

The contracting officer’s signature on this document indicates that the contracting officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable. The contractor must be required to submit a proposal to be evaluated and negotiated by the Government. Prior to execution of the contractual instrument, a proposal analysis will be performed. The proposal analysis will ensure that the final agreed-to price for the contract action is fair and reasonable. Pricing for this firm-fixed-price action will be analyzed in accordance with the techniques at FAR 15.404-1 Price Analysis.

8. FAR 6.104-1(a)(8) – Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted (e.g., urgent, and compelling requirement):

Rev.:10/2025

Market research, including in-depth market knowledge, was completed and confirmed that only Denmar Technical Services, Inc. could meet the required timeline. No other vendors demonstrated the ability to complete the task within the schedule constraints, as Denmar is currently performing classified USAF modifications on the aircraft and is the only vendor who possesses unique knowledge of its airworthiness status.

9. FAR 6.104-1(a)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

None

10. FAR 6.104-1(a)(10) – A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed an interest in writing in the acquisition:

A notice of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source action was synopsized on the GPE website (Sam.gov) per FAR part 5 (See Section 6 above). The synopsis was posted on April 8, 2026 and closed on April 13, 2026. One response was received from Reduced Gravity Solutions Inc. (RGS), a small business. The technical team reviewed the submission and found that RGS is not capable of performing the required feasibility assessment, airworthiness maintenance, parabolic modification, and painting to the USAF-owned 737 that will be transferring to NASA. The submission from RGS did not include information demonstrating its capability to perform the required assessment, maintenance, modification, and painting services and focused on its future plans to operate a commercial parabolic flight vehicle. No other companies submitted statements of interest or capability.

11. FAR 6.104-1(a)(11) – A statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

The Agency will continue to examine the market in the future for alternative solutions or new sources before executing any subsequent acquisitions for the same requirements.

Rev.: 10/2025

80AFRC26R0006 Reduced Gravity Test Bed

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

SIGNATURE PAGE

I certify that the facts presented in this justification are accurate and complete.

Technical Representative

I hereby certify that the above justification is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Contracting Officer

APPROVED:

Competition Advocate

AFRC