Sole_Source_Justification_for_postin.pdf

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

PURSUANT TO 41 U.S.C. 1901 AND FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION 13.5,

SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS

1. This document is a Sole Source Justification prepared by the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration (NASA), Johnson Space Center (JSC), pursuant to 41 U.S.C. §1901 and Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.5.

2. The nature and/or description of the action being approved.

This justification provides the rationale for contracting on a sole source basis with Lasco

Services, Inc. (Lasco) for the Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science (ARES) geochemistry lab renovation installation. ARES is working with the JSC Center Operations

Directorate on a larger construction effort to replace Air Handlers (AH) within laboratories. One of the AHs being replaced supplies air to a clean geochemistry lab, where astromaterials samples are examined. ARES, the user, is required to fund the installation of this equipment. Lasco was selected by PAE, the Center Operations facility contractor managing this project, through a full and open competition in FY16 to provide the components to be installed.

3. Description of the supplies or services required, include an estimated value:

The clean geochemistry lab equipment installation included within this scope are modular cleanroom walls, ceilings, doors and flooring, as well as laboratory casework and fume hoods.

The estimated value of these services is $345,000.

The period of performance for this effort will be from February 6, 2017 through September 30, 2017.

4. Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

The statutory authority is 41 U.S.C. §1901(e), which states that, when using simplified procedures to purchase commercial items, NASA may conduct the purchase on a sole source basis if, “the need to do so is justified in writing and approved in accordance with section 2304(f) of title 10.”

5. Demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited.

All of the equipment being installed was previously purchased from Lasco by PAE. Lasco’s warranty on this equipment will be void if another vendor installs the equipment, which adds unnecessary risk to the government. A minimum requirement is for the vendor installing the

Sole Source Justification and Approval - Lasco cleanroom equipment to be the provider of that equipment in order to protect the equipment warranty; therefore, only Lasco is qualified. FAR 46.709 states that, “the contracting officer should take advantage of commercial warranties, including extended warranties, where appropriate and in the Government’s best interest, offered by the contractor for the repair and replacement of commercial items.”

Lasco’s materials and process for installing cleanroom components meet the NASA ARES contamination control protocols and have been reviewed and approved by the Curation Analysis and Planning Team for Extraterrestrial Materials (CAPTEM), the NASA Headquarters’ chartered interdisciplinary team responsible for overseeing all matters concering NASA’s astromaterials sample collections at JSC. Approval by CAPTEM is critical due to the irreplaceable nature of the samples that will be examined within this ARES geochemistry laboratory.

6. Description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable.

Pursuant to FAR 5.201(b)(1), this action will be synopsized on the Government Wide Point of

Entry, located at www.FedBizOpps.gov.

7. A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The Contracting Officer will compare the proposed cost for this work with the Government estimate. The Contracting Officer’s Representative Technical Evaluation will be used to verify that the types and amounts of labor hours are appropriate for the scope of this work.

Additionally, the Contracting Officer will compare the proposed cost for this effort with the actual cost for similar cleanroom equipment installations purchased by NASA in the past.

8. Description of the market survey conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reason a market survey was not conducted.

A full and open competition for the laboratory equipment required for the larger construction project was completed successfully by PAE in FY16. Lasco was selected as the only vendor technically acceptable. No market research was conducted for this procurement given that it is a requirement to select the same vendor for the equipment installation as the provider of the equipment in order to complete the larger project in FY17.

9. Other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition.

10. Sources, if any, that expressed interest in writing in the acquisition.

At this time no other sources have expressed interest in this acquisition.

11. The 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.

Sole Source Justification and Approval - Lasco

NASA will continue to monitor industry publications, communicate with a number of manufacturers and installers of clean room equipment, and attend manufacturing trade shows in an effort to identify sources for future acquisitions.