SATPC0016580 BNJ and CO Page_Redacted.pdf

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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

NASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER

RECOMMENDATION AND DETERMINATION TO SOLICIT FROM ONE SOURCE

OR BRAND NAME

PICK ONE

Sole Source:

☐I recommend that NASA, NASA Shared Services Center negotiate with Vendor Name only for Enter Supply or Service to be procured. The total estimated cost of this effort is Enter Dollar amount and the estimated period of performance or lead-time for delivery is Date.

OR

Brand Name Justification:

☒I recommend that NASA, NASA Shared Services Center negotiate with only with vendors who can provide a QHY411 Medium Format Scientific CMOS Camera. The total estimated cost of this camera is and the estimated lead-time for delivery is .

This recommendation is for the acquisition of supplies or services determined to be reasonably available from only one source/only one manufacture. Competition is impractical for the following reasons (please answer the questions below):

1. What are the reasons for soliciting only the suggested source/suggested brand name? Please provide the unique characteristics of the items or services along with the supporting rationale and the market research performed to substantiate your reason for the suggested source/brand name.

The QHY is the only camera available on the market with the combination of low signal noise and high sensitivity required to advance precision stellar astronomy instrument development applications. That is why we have selected it as our top camera. Our science team provided NSSC with two other camera options with lower performance in terms of signal noise and sensitivity. These cameras were identified as lower quality, lower cost options in the event that the QHY camera could not be approved by NASA Headquarters Information Technology Security. This approval was been granted on 4/29/20 (see link below in Additional Comments).

2. What is the impact to the government if another vendor/brand is used? Include any dollar, schedule, or compatibility impacts if possible.

The impact of using the alternate science cameras is an inability to achieve the stellar astrometry instrument performance required to achieve the science milestones defined in our NASA Science Mission Directorate funded project. Predictions show that optical images from the lower quality cameras would increases the overall uncertainty in our experimental results to the point where science conclusions may be very difficult to make.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

Here is the link to the QHY camera IT security approval: https://itp.arc.nasa.gov/request/3714

Technical User Name Date

Title

Office