PTC Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC)_Redacted.pdf

Rev.: 10/2025

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

NASA Information Technology Procurement Office (ITPO)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC)

FY26 Parametric Technologies Corporation (PTC) Creo and Windchill Software Renewal

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.104-1(a)(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) IT Procurement Office (ITPO).

The procuring agency is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the contracting activity is IT Procurement Office (ITPO).

2. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 Parametric Technologies Corporation (PTC) for the FY26 Parametric Technologies Corporation (PTC) Creo and Windchill Software Renewal and the estimated period of performance is 03/15/2026 – 03/14/2027.

3. FAR 6.104-1(a)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

This acquisition is for the renewal, maintenance, upgrade rights, and associated support services for NASA’s existing PTC Creo Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and PTC Windchill Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software environment deployed across multiple NASA Centers. The scope includes annual license renewals for existing PTC Creo and Windchill users, procurement of additional licenses, maintenance and subscription services, access to software updates and version upgrades, technical support services, and training resources, as needed.

PTC Creo provides engineering design capabilities supporting the creation and modification of aerospace vehicle and scientific instrument models. PTC Windchill serves as the Agency’s PLM platform for engineering data management, configuration control, workflow management, and collaboration across geographically dispersed teams.

These systems are currently integrated into NASA’s engineering and configuration management processes and support ongoing mission-related activities. Continued licensing and maintenances are required to ensure uninterrupted access to the software and associated support services.

Rev.:10/2025

The estimated value of this acquisition is for one year.

4. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 acquisitions using the procedures in FAR 12.201-1 is 41 U.S.C. 1901.

5. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1) is Parametric Technologies Corporation (PTC) is the sole source provider for this requirement as described below.

PTC Creo and Windchill are proprietary software products that are tightly integrated to support NASA’s enterprise engineering and configuration management processes across multiple Centers. Only PTC can provide NASA with valid licenses, maintenance, upgrades, and certified technical support. The software architecture, data schema, object models, and Creo integration are proprietary to PTC and PTC retains exclusive rights to modify, license, and support the platform.

The Windchill environment includes mission-critical customizations that are deeply embedded in Agency engineering workflows, including:

• AutoRevise: An automated workflow that transitions objects within a promotion request from the Pre-Production phase to the In-Work phase of the lifecycle.

• Electronic Drawing Release (EDR): A workflow and InfoEngine-based customization supporting routing, review, approval, publishing, and formal release of EPM documents.

These customizations are deeply integrated with Windchill’s architecture and NASA business processes. Replicating this functionality in an alternative PLM system would require substantial system redesign, data migration, workflow revalidation, retraining of personnel, and recertification of configuration-controlled artifacts.

The interdependence between PTC Creo and Windchill further reinforces the lack of interchangeability. Windchill is specifically designed to manage native Creo CAD data without translation or loss of design intelligence. Use of an alternative PLM system would require file conversion or middleware integration, introducing data integrity risks, configuration management vulnerabilities, and potential loss of associativity between models, drawings, and product structures.

Discontinuation or interruption of Windchill licensing, maintenance, or upgrade support would result in an immediate inability to manage engineering data releases, promotion requests, and configuration-controlled documentation. This would create a significant risk of work stoppage affecting ongoing Agency projects and collaboration with commercial space partners.

Additionally, NASA currently utilizes PTC products across multiple Centers to enable enterprise collaboration and standardized engineering data exchange. Introduction of a non- PTC solution at this time would fragment the Agency’s PLM environment, impair interoperability, and undermine standardization efforts.

6. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 part 5 and, if not, which exception under part 5 applies:

A notice to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (Sam.gov) was published on February 24, 2026, in accordance with FAR part 5. This posting informed potential sources of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source contract to Parametric Technologies Corporation (PTC). The results of this synopsis are summarized in Section 10 below.

7. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 quote to be evaluated by the Government. Prior to execution of the contractual instrument, a price analysis will be performed. The price analysis will ensure that the final agreed-to price for the contract action is fair and reasonable. Pricing will be determined fair and reasonable based on commercial pricing and historical prices.

8. FAR 6.104-1(a)(8) – Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted (e.g., urgent, and compelling requirement):

NASA conducted market research to determine whether sources other than PTC could satisfy the Agency’s requirement for renewal, maintenance, upgrades, and associated support for existing PTC Creo and Windchill licenses deployed across multiple Centers.

This research included:

• Review of industry Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) vendors

• Assessment of interoperability between alternative PLM systems and NASA’s existing PTC Creo CAD environment

• Evaluation of compatibility with NASA’s customized Windchill configuration, including the AutoRevise and EDR workflows

• Review of licensing rights and support authorization

• Direct Correspondence with the publisher, PTC

PTC Creo and Windchill are proprietary software products. Only PTC can provide NASA with valid licenses, maintenance renewals, upgrades, and certified technical support. No third-party vendor is authorized to modify, extend, or provide updates to the software outside of PTC’s licensing framework. There are no other brands or vendors that product products offering comparable compatibility and support.

Email communication with PTC confirms that PTC is providing NASA with a custom license bundle that is not available to or through resellers. PTC will not provide pricing any pricing to any resellers for a NASA custom licensing bundle. Direct contracting with PTC ensures timely deployment, mitigates technical risks, supports the expedited schedule, and maintains license compliance throughout the contract period.

9. FAR 6.104-1(a)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

None.

10. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 February 24, 2026, through the GPE website (Sam.gov) per FAR part 5 (See Section 6 above).

The only company which expressed interest in writing to the SAM.gov Notice of Intent was Code Body Dynamics. On March 9, 2026, the COR confirmed that Code Body Dynamics is not capable of performing the unique PTC software requirement. Their service offerings focus on custom software development, data analytics, workflow automation, and general IT support, but they do not provide, implement, or support PTC products. Because PTC software requires specialized licensing, configuration expertise, and product specific technical capabilities, Code Body Dynamics does not meet the technical qualifications necessary to fulfill this requirement. PTC’s OEM confirmation letter further verifies that Code Body Dynamics is not an authorized provider or implementer of any PTC solutions, in addition they are not listed as a partner on the PTC’s Partner Portal. Plus, Code Body Dynamics is not capable of performing the unique PTC software requirement because the PTC software bundling which used by NASA, PTC doesn’t provide it or pricing to resellers.

11. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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.