Hypersonic Material Testing JEFOP - Final.pdf

September 17, 2019

TO: 12/Research and Development Contracting Branch, Office of Procurement

Attn: Mercer Hurst

FROM: 190/David E. Glass, Structural Mechanics & Concepts Branch (D312), Research Directorate

SUBJECT: Justification for Exception to the Fair Opportunity Process (JEFOP) for

New Task Order entitled “NASA Hypersonic Material Development Test in the Boeing LCAT Arc-Jet Facility” with The Boeing Company on Contract NNL16AA04B, Total Estimated Cost $314,006

In accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(2), the following information is provided to support this justification:

I. Recommendation

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) intends to initiate a new cost-plus-fixed fee (CPFF) task order with The Boeing Company under the Basic and Applied Aerospace Research and Technology (BAART) contract. The purpose of this new task order is to acquire ground-testing data to evaluate coated carbon-carbon (C/C) specimens under one simulated atmospheric flight condition. Ground testing is required in the Boeing Large Core Arc Tunnel (LCAT) located in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Boeing Company is the sole source capable of performing the required effort based on the unique testing capabilities of their facility, cost, and schedule/availability as described in Section IV.

Purchase Request (PR) 4200704615 has been generated to provide funding in the amount of $320,000 for this task order. The BAART contract period of performance is November 1, 2015 through October 31, 2020. All work under this task order will be completed by September 30, 2020.

II. Background

Ground testing is required to evaluate potential candidate material systems for application on hypersonic vehicles. During flight, the material systems will be exposed to high temperatures and pressures for which an arc-jet tunnel is the only viable ground test facility that can produce the required test conditions to adequately assess the viability and survivability of the candidate material systems. Testing is required in the Boeing LCAT located in St. Louis, Missouri to expose the various material specimens to a range of temperature and pressure conditions that are relevant to expected flight conditions. This request is a follow-on to the same type of testing awarded by the NSSC under BTS-18-11422R1 with PO

80NSSC18P3377.

III. Nature and/or Description of Required Supplies/Services

This proposed new task order, “NASA Hypersonic Material Development Test in the Boeing LCAT Arc-Jet Facility”, is to evaluate potential candidate material systems for application on hypersonic vehicles. The scope of this task is to evaluate coated carbon-carbon (C/C) specimens under one simulated atmospheric flight condition. 24 different coated C/C specimens will be tested utilizing the LCAT arc-jet test facility. The test duration is expected to be a total of 10 days of test time in the tunnel. The days do not need to be consecutive. The specimens will be exposed to specific test conditions that simulate relevant flight environments.

The total estimated value of this proposed new task order is $314,006. This new task order fits within the scope of the BAART contract Performance Work Statement under Track A.1.1 Advanced Materials and Processing. Furthermore, this proposed new task order falls within the BAART contract performance period and within the maximum contract value.

IV. Identification of the Exception to Fair Opportunity and Supporting Rationale

FAR 16.505(b)(1)(i) requires that the Contracting Officer provide each awardee under a multiple award contract a fair opportunity to be considered for each order exceeding $3,500 unless a statutory exception applies. Specifically, the exception that precludes the fair opportunity process for this acquisition is FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), which states that “Only one awardee is capable of providing the services or supplies required at the level of quality required because the service or supplies ordered are unique or highly specialized”.

There are only three major arc-jet test facilities located in the United States that provide a large flow-field adequate to test models larger than 2-inches wide. These three facilities are:

1) the Arnold Engineering Development facility (AEDC), located in Tullahoma, TN, 2) the NASA Ames arc-jet complex located in Mountain View, CA, and 3) the Boeing Large Core Arc Tunnel (LCAT) located in St. Louis, MO. The AEDC and NASA Ames facilities are government complexes and the Boeing LCAT facility is a commercial entity. NASA Langley (HyMETS facility) and the University of Texas-Arlington (UTA) each have very small arc-jet facilities, primarily for R&D purposes that can adequately test models up to about 1-inch in diameter. The subject testing will require testing of models 2-inches wide and larger;

therefore, the three large facilities mentioned above are the only potentially viable options.

Of those three facilities, the NASA Ames facility cannot meet the required combination of model size, pressure, and heat flux to simulate the required flight scenario adequately.

Therefore, the Boeing LCAT facility and the AEDC H2 facility are the only potentially viable options. For this particular development test series, candidate samples were initially screened in the small HyMETS arc-jet facility at NASA Langley. Samples that passed the initial screening test in the HyMETS facility were then considered for a larger-scale test at elevated test conditions more relevant to flight that can only be reproduced by the Boeing LCAT facility or the AEDC H2 facility.

The reason for going to the Boeing LCAT facility with mid-scale models after the HyMETS down-selection and not to the AEDC H2 facility is that Boeing LCAT has the integration hardware needed for testing. If the AEDC H2 facility were awarded the contact, then they would need to fabricate integration hardware before any testing could be initiated, which would affect the schedule. Therefore, while the AEDC H2 facility may be an option for future requirements, it is not a viable source at this time. In addition, the cost of the LCAT facility (~$120-160k/week for LCAT vs ~$240k/week for AEDC) is lower. Overall, the Boeing LCAT facility provides a higher return in terms of models tested per dollar and is the only current viable source with the necessary integration hardware.

V. Determination by the Contracting Officer That The Anticipated Cost to the

Government Will Be Fair and Reasonable

The CPFF amount for this acquisition will be determined fair and reasonable by the Contracting Officer prior to award of this proposed new task order. Actions anticipated to ensure reasonableness will be accomplished using the procedures and criteria contained in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), NASA FAR Supplement (NFS), and other regulatory documents as applicable. Detailed documentation and justification of reasonableness will be disclosed in the Price Negotiation Memorandum (PNM), which will be prepared using the evaluation of The Boeing Company quoted pricing compared to the Independent Government Estimate (IGE) and the pricing of previous similar efforts. Other than certified cost or pricing data will be obtained and used in determining a fair and reasonable cost.

VI. Other Facts Supporting the Justification

None

VII. Actions the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome Any Barriers To

Increasing Fair Opportunity Before Any Subsequent Acquisition For the Supplies or Services

LaRC may have future requirements that can only be met by The Boeing Company.

However, the Contracting Officer will continue to scrutinize all SOWs received to ensure fair opportunity is appropriately given. LaRC typically looks for proactive steps that can be taken to eliminate barriers to competition for future requirements. Because of the unique testing capabilities of their facility, cost, and schedule/availability, LaRC is unable to compete the requirement currently. Additionally, LaRC has no known future requirements for this technology at this time and lacks the ability to incentivize the other BAART contractors to invest the substantial sums that would be required to establish an alternate source for this service.

Technical Certification:

I certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, the data furnished above is complete and accurate.

David Glass Date Technical Point of Contact

Contracting Officer Certification:

I certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, the data furnished above is complete and accurate.

Mercer Hurst Date Contracting Officer