80KSC022Q0005 JOFOC Redacted.pdf

Rev.:01/2021

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA)

John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (JOFOC)

For Request for Quote 80KSC022Q0005

Tech4Imaging, LLC Sensors and Support Services for Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography Sensor Systems for Gauging LN2 Mass

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.303-2(b)(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 NASA, KSC. The procuring agency is the NASA, and the contracting activity is KSC.

2. 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 to award a sole-source contract with Tech4Imaging, LLC (T4I), 1910 Crown Park CT., Columbus, Ohio, 43235-2404, United States, for procurement of sensor systems and engineering development of sensor systems for project-specific geometries.

3. FAR 6.303-2(b)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the

Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

T4I will supply electrical capacitance volume tomography (ECVT) sensor systems and support for a drop-tower experiment, including the design, the analysis, and the troubleshooting, the Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) electrodes, the Data Acquisition Systems (DAS), the cables and the software. The procurement supports the Early Career Initiative Project ‘CAPMAG’ (Capacitive Mass Gauging for Cryogenic Fluids in Micro-G), which is funded and managed through the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD).

The period of performance is approximately 19 months from contract execution, and the estimated dollar value is .

4. 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 is 41 U.S.C. § 1901 as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 13.5 – Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, which permits contracting for commercial items on a sole source basis (including brand-name) when the need to do so is justified in writing.

5. FAR 6.303-2(b)(5) – A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

The rationale supporting the use of 41 U.S.C. 1901 is that T4I is the only responsible source, and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements as described below.

T4I is the only responsible source, and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. T4I is the only known domestic company that has complete and functional ECVT sensor systems on the market. T4I is the only known domestic company with the capability and equipment to develop ECVT sensors for custom geometries. T4I holds over 15 issued and pending patents related to the technology.

6. 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:

NASA will publicize the Combined Solicitation/Synopsis on the Governmentwide Point of Entry, <https://sam.gov> in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.2. The Statement of Work will be contained in the solicitation to provide any potential source the opportunity to respond.

Any responses received as a result of the Combined Solicitation/Synopsis will be appropriately dispositioned and documented in an addendum to this document.

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

It is anticipated that the Contracting Officer will be able to make a fair and reasonable price determination based upon one or more of the criteria set forth in FAR 13.106-3(a)(2). The Contracting Officer anticipates making a comparison to historical prices paid for the same or similar items (13.106-3(a)(2)(ii)) based upon prior purchases.

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

Market research consisted of a combination of literature searches and internet searches, both of which failed to yield other domestic commercial sources for the ECVT technology and sensor systems. ECVT sensor systems represent a new, unique, and obscure technology that has not had time for significant industrial and market penetration.

9. FAR 6.303-2(b)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

This contract is associated with an Early Career Initiative project that required selection of an “external partner” (an entity outside of NASA with which to collaborate) prior to proposing.

This unique circumstance required communications with the company, T4I, that included describing the proposed work and getting pricing information from the company.

10. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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 will be synopsized on the GPE website (Sam.gov) per FAR Subpart 5.2 (See Section 6 above). If a company responds to the Combined Solicitation/Synopsis, the technical representative will be notified, and the response will be appropriately assessed.

11. 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:

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.

Tech4Imaging, LLC Sensors and Support Services for Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography Sensor Systems for Gauging LN2 Mass

Request for Quote - 80KSC022Q0005

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

SIGNATURE PAGE

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

Christopher J. Biagi Technical Representative

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

Rose Dougherty Contracting Officer