SATPC0033482 TAB 06 BNJ_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 . 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 the subject brand name from Boxx Technologies, LLC for Boxx AMD Threadripper 5955WX APEXX T4 Configurable Workstations. The total estimated cost of this effort is and the estimated period of performance or lead-time for delivery is 30 Days ARO .

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.

This Boxx AMD Threadripper 5955WX APEXX T4 Configurable Workstation is needed in the Attitude Control Systems Engineering Branch’s suite so it is available for use by the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Attitude Control Systems (ACS) analysis team. This machine will be utilized to analyze the highly non-linear system that is to be expected in flight when the spacecraft launches on January 30, 2024. In our design phase, with the resources we have available, this analysis takes our current computers two or more days to complete. In flight, the mission cannot wait for days in order to come up with a solution for off-nominal behavior of the spacecraft. Therefore, we need a computer with the ability to run our ACS simulation as rapidly as possible. The situations may be mission critical and time dependent with a rapid response required. This machine has capabilities that are unmatched with the configurations available for purchase through ESMO. In order for the PACE team to procure a machine that fits the needs of the mission in the timeline which is needed, PACE is required to go to a supplier which provides customized computing solutions with a quick turnaround (due to the fact that it is required to be up and running prior to launch).

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

If another brand other than Boxx was used, there would be a risk to mission success of one of NASA’s earth science missions. Without the ability to perform the ACS’s team simulations at a rapid pace, during commissioning, the team would be forced to make decisions based on speculation as opposed to simulated data and sound engineering reasoning. The PACE project also determined that this was a required purchase and provided the funding. Additionally, the supplier meets the timeline in order to ship the computer within 2 weeks– a timeline that isn’t possible through other processes. This item contains 64 cores, which means it can compute 64 simulations simultaneously. Additionally, it contains enough RAM such that it has the ability to process and store the large amount of data throughput. We need this machine within a month, and a custom build through ESMO wouldn’t be delivered in time for launch.

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ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

10/19/2023

Technical User Name Date

SUPV AST, NAV GUID&CONTROL SYSTEMS

Title Attitude Control Systems Engineering Branch Office