Redacted_80JSC019P0032_JOFOC.pdf

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA)

LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (JOFOC)

Pursuant to 10 United States Code (U. S. C.) 2304(c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation

(FAR) 6.302-1

For the Development of the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) Oxygen Assemblies

1. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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 for the upgrade of two existing Primary Oxygen Regulator (POR) 3.0 units, which will be integrated into the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) Oxygen Assemblies.

Additionally, there will be two options included to manufacture additional PLSS oxygen assemblies with the inclusion of the required upgrades.

2. FAR 6.303-2(b)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

Future International Space Station (ISS) suits must be able to reliably support missions ranging from 7 days to several months in an environment with almost daily Extravehicular Activity (EVA) excursions. The existing space suit is being redesigned for simplicity, increased reliability, and robustness while operating in adverse environmental conditions.

Among the improvements is the evolution of oxygen regulators that are being used on the current Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). This modification includes a wider performance band, continuous pressure variability in place of two discrete set-points, and the ability to treat Decompression Sickness (DCS) symptoms during an EVA excursion or Intra- Vehicular Activities, immediately following an EVA. The current EMU configuration requires separate hardware and several minutes to engage only limited DCS treatment. The inclusion of the in-suit DCS treatment with the regulator design will dramatically reduce crew members’ health-risk.

Additionally, by adopting the feature of continuous pressure variability in place of two discrete set-points, it allows for the regulator to adjust the suit pressure and minimize the “pre-breathe” or time spent breathing pure oxygen ahead of an EVA. Improving the current EMU Secondary Oxygen Pack regulator design with these upgrades will greatly benefit crew safety, and reliability.

Under the base contract, NASA will furnish two previously procured OR 3.0 units to the Contractor for component upgrades and installation of the necessary fittings and brackets to be integrated into the PLSS oxygen assembly. The development effort being performed on the two Government furnished POR 3.0 units is estimated to be . Additionally, two options will be included to manufacture and build a third and fourth PLSS oxygen assembly.

The manufactured units will then be incorporated into a new POR 3.0 unit with the necessary brackets, fittings and ancillary components. The estimated cost of the new PLSS oxygen assembly is estimated at each. The total estimated value of this purchase, inclusive of options, is .

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3. FAR 6.303-2(b)(4) – An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for this action is FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii)(B), “Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements”, pursuant to 10 U. S. C 2304(c)(1).

4. FAR 6.303-2(b)(5)&(9) – A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited and any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition such as:

Cobham Missions Systems developed the legacy regulator hardware for the EMU program, as discussed in paragraph two. Cobham Missions Systems possesses the necessary experience, required facilities, processes, rigs/fixtures, and personnel to take the next step in evolving this regulator with the eventual goal of a fully-flight qualified, human-rated, motor-settable regulator. The motor settable regulator technology which has been developed by Cobham over the past 11 years is a key feature of the integrated Space Suit PLSS. Cobham Missions Systems has completed the design, manufacture, and delivery of the POR 3.0, with inclusion of the previous evolutions of this technology, therefore; they are uniquely qualified for this effort. In addition, Cobham own the exclusive rights to this design, an award to any other source would require a complete redesign of the PLSS System. Therefore, Cobham Missions Systems is clearly the only responsible source.

The impacts of not contracting with Cobham Missions Systems increases risk to astronaut safety, current project schedule, additional cost for development of a POR that meets the Governments requirements, and ultimately impacts the readiness of the life support system to meet NASA mission milestones for the functional exploration and ISS Space Suit development. Any redesign activities would result in significant program risk and unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Agency’s requirements.

5. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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 Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies:

Pursuant to FAR 5.201, the proposed contract action was synopsized and posted to the Federal Business Opportunities November 27, 2018, and closed on December 3, 2018, with no responses received.

6. FAR 6.303-2(b)(7) – A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable:

The recent shift of the space industry towards commercialization and privatization, has created a public marketplace for items once required for only Government use. The price(s) will be evaluated and determined fair and reasonable in accordance with the techniques detailed in FAR 15.404-1. Such techniques include comparison of proposed prices to

BH4-19-002 Development of the PLSS Oxygen Assemblies, JOFOC 3 historical prices paid for the same or similar items and comparison of proposed prices with prices obtained through market research for the same or similar items.

7. FAR 6.303-2(b)(8) – Description of the market survey conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reasons a market survey was not conducted:

In addition to the market research described above in paragraph five, the Contracting Officer’s Representative has extensive technical knowledge and experience with the complexity of the PLSS. This knowledge includes a thorough understanding of the industry through continuous monitoring of the market and any available cost effective options.

8. FAR 6.303-2(b)(10) – A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed an interest in writing in the acquisition:

No responses were received from the Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source posted on November 27, 2018.

9. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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:

NASA will continue to monitor industry publications, communicate with manufacturers of PLSS components, and attend manufacturing trade shows in an effort to identify sources for future acquisitions.