JOFOC LDV 20210604 - Signed.pdf

Rev.:01/2021

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Glenn Research Center (GRC)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC)

For THREE-DIMENSIONAL LASER DOPPLER VELOCIMETRY (3D LDV)

SYSTEM (80GRC021P0010)

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

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) GRC:

The procuring agency is NASA and the contracting activity is GRC.

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 to 80GRC021P0010to Dantec Dynamics for a three-dimensional laser Doppler velocimetry (3D LDV) system.

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):

Laser Doppler velocimetry is a technique through which the velocity of a flow is measured at discrete points in space. Particles passing through intersecting laser beams create signals which are registered by a photodetector, and the signal is converted to a velocity measurement through sophisticated signal analysis techniques. An LDV system is needed to acquire velocity and turbulence data at the exit of an advanced centrifugal compressor. The desired measurement region is a harsh environment in which traditional, intrusive probes

(such as hot-wire probes) do not survive or are prohibited by spatial constraints. An LDV system is a non-intrusive measurement which meets the requirements for the desired measurement region. Specifically, a 3D LDV system is needed for simultaneous measurement of all three velocity components are necessary to enable calculation of turbulence metrics. The greatest capital requirement needed for procurement is estimated to be less than $300,000.

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 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)

(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302(1) Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

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 planned procurement of the Laser Doppler Velocimeter is uniquely satisfied by Dantec

Dynamics as outlined below:

1. NASA GRC already owns several Dantec Dynamics LDV and phase Doppler velocimetry (PDV) systems. It is necessary that the same vendor be used to ensure complete compatibility of expertise, hardware, and software between systems. If purchased from another vendor, sharing of expertise in operation and data files will be impossible, and the systems will have incompatible hardware and software.

2. The need for a robust and turn-key 3-Dimensional LDV system with high accuracy and precision exclusively satisfied by Dantec Dynamics. Although there are other commercial sources for the LVA, only the system from Dantec Dynamics is provided with factory aligned optics for both the 1D and 2D fiber probes which include a calibration certificate traceable to international standards. All other LDV systems require the user to align the optics to cross the beams at the measurement volume. Therefore, the user is responsible for optimizing the alignment and determining the calibration constant (fringe spacing) of the system. This feature will be especially important in the testing environment which can have large variations in temperature which can cause misalignment in user-aligned systems, whereas the Dantec system will stay aligned in this environment. It will not be possible to make optical adjustments during testing as access to the test cell is restricted while experiments are being conducted.

3. Due to the expected high velocity in the test section and the small size of the seeding particles, optics with the highest possible laser power are necessary for adequate signal-to-noise ratio. Only the Dantec Dynamics Fiber Transmitters have 1-Watt DPSS lasers for all three of the wavelengths provided.

4. The data requires high spatial resolution, and only the Dantec Dynamics transmitter probes have 60 mm focal length front lenses for this purpose. Additional lenses (100 and

160 mm) are also included for flexibility and use in other measurement applications.

5. Spatial constraints require small laser heads, and only Dantec Dynamics laser heads have the required combination of small size, laser power, and focal length.

6. High velocity requires the signal processor to be support Doppler frequencies up to 200

MHz as well as have a high bandwidth, as well. The Dantec Dynamics burst spectrum analyzer (BSA) is the only commercially available processor that has both these capabilities.

7. Not only is accurate velocity measurement required, accurate RMS and higher order moments are needed to validate the experimental data. Only the Dantec Dynamics LDA software is provided with a stop criterion based on statically significant convergence to a user selectable percentage of mean and/or RMS values. Not only will this unique ability provide high confidence in the results, but it will also save valuable test time and reduce the energy costs when running the test facility.

8. The support personnel from Dantec Dynamics have decades of experience with these types of measurement systems and are available for on-site and remote assistance in support of their instruments at the NASA GRC as we have many other customers on-site.

In addition, Dantec Dynamics offers unlimited phone and email support of this system by qualified engineers and service technicians.

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:

A notice to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (beta.sam.gov) was published on

May 4, 2021, in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.2. This posting informed potential sources of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source contract to Dantec Dynamics. The results of this synopsis are summarized in Section 10 below.

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:

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 shall 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. Quotes from competing vendors will be used as reference for evaluation of fair cost.

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:

Product families from five different vendors were considered. Of these five, three vendors were solicited for quotes on the LDV system and provided formal quotes. Two of the five vendors were not solicited for quotes based on inadequate laser power (the laser power for these vendors was less than 200 milliwatts when the required power was 1W or more) and/or inadequate maximum velocity range (maximum velocity of 850 ft/s compared to a required maximum of 1500 ft/s). Of the three vendors which were solicited for quotes, one of the vendors systems did not have adequate laser power (500 milliwatts) and the laser probe heads were too large (17 inches long compared to a maximum length of 12 inches). Of the remaining two vendors which supplied quotes, the prices were comparable for similar systems. However, Dantec Dynamics’ LDV system has the superior combination of laser power (1W at all wavelengths), small probe heads (less than 11 inches combined probe and focal length), and advanced signal processing methods (200MHz maximum Doppler frequency). Finally, the existing Dantec hardware components available at GRC are interchangeable with the desired Dantec Dynamics system, and the software can communicate with other previously acquired Dantec Dynamics equipment.

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

None.

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 was synopsized on the GPE website (beta.sam.gov) per FAR Subpart 5.2 (See Section 6 above). Synopsis was posted on

Beta.Sam on May 4, 2021 for 15 days, no responses were received.

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.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL LASER DOPPLER VELOCIMETRY (3D LDV) SYSTEM

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

SIGNATURE PAGE

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

Trey Harrison

Technical Representative

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

Ashlee Shaw

Contracting Officer