SATPC0039430 Tab 06 RDSS..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 Warwick Mills only for Advanced Textile Custom Development. The total estimated cost of this effort is and the estimated period of performance or lead-time for delivery is 6 months from ATP.

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 vendor for supply or service to be procured. The total estimated cost of this effort is dollar amount and the estimated period of performance or lead-time for delivery is date.

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.

Warwick Mills possesses a rare and well-established capability to design and produce high-performance woven Vectran fabrics integrated with advanced coating systems. Their proprietary processing methods including calendaring, heat-setting, and composite coating integration are essential for achieving the desired mechanical, environmental, and surface properties required for lunar surface operations.

Warwick has extensive experience producing advanced textile systems for high-risk environments, including ballistic applications and prior NASA-related development efforts. Warwick Mills previously supplied custom woven Vectran and coated fabrics for NASA and its partners, including high reliability softgoods components and spacesuit prototypes. Their materials have undergone evaluation in relevant environments and performed successfully under mechanical stress, thermal cycling, and abrasion exposure. This history of successful collaboration minimizes technical, and schedule risk compared to onboarding a new vendor with no such heritage. Warwick is uniquely capable of performing in-house weaving, finishing, and advanced coating operations. This vertical integration ensures full process control and consistency throughout development. It also reduces lead times and avoids quality degradation or coordination challenges that can occur when weaving and coating are performed by separate subcontractors. The development of coated Vectran fabrics for use in extreme environments, particularly lunar surface conditions, requires a combination of material science, textile engineering, and precision coating expertise that is not broadly available in the commercial textile market. Warwick is one of the very few known vendors with the capability and willingness to support such niche, small-lot R&D efforts at a fabric level. Warwick Mills has participated in ongoing development efforts with NASA and its contractors and is already familiar with the technical requirements, test infrastructure, and performance objectives for lunar suit materials. Engaging Warwick reduces onboarding time and enables continuity with prior material evaluations.

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

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If a vendor other than Warwick Mills is used for the development of the custom coated Vectran fabric, the government would face significant risks to cost, schedule, and performance. Most alternative vendors lack the specialized technical capabilities needed to successfully design and fabricate a woven Vectran textile with integrated coating systems that meet the demanding requirements for lunar surface applications. Without proven experience in precision weaving of high-performance yarns, controlled calendaring and heat-setting, and resin coating tailored for thermal and abrasion performance, other vendors are more likely to deliver substandard materials that require extensive rework or fail to meet test thresholds. Engaging a new vendor would also result in substantial schedule delays. Ramp-up would involve onboarding, knowledge transfer, and multiple design iterations, potentially delaying prototype delivery by 6 to 12 months or more. This would jeopardize downstream testing, integration timelines, and overall mission readiness. In contrast, Warwick Mills is already familiar with the technical requirements and has a demonstrated track record with similar materials, enabling rapid execution with minimal onboarding. Additionally, many vendors would need to outsource critical steps such as coating or finishing, resulting in a fragmented process chain. This increases the risk of quality inconsistencies, miscommunication, and longer lead times. Warwick’s vertically integrated manufacturing model ensures consistent quality control and traceability across all phases of development—something that is difficult to achieve when multiple subcontractors are involved. From a cost perspective, transitioning to a new vendor would likely require repeating development work already completed, including requalification testing and baseline establishment. These redundant efforts would drive up program costs and consume limited government resources. Finally, Warwick’s ongoing participation in NASA materials development ensures alignment with existing roadmaps, data sets, and test protocols. Using a new vendor would disrupt this continuity, reducing confidence in the technical maturity and integration readiness of the final product. In summary, selecting an alternative vendor would introduce considerable risk to technical performance, increase cost, and delay schedule-critical milestones, all of which threaten the success of the lunar spacesuit material development effort. For these reasons, continued engagement with Warwick Mills is in the best interest of the government.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

7/18/2025 Technical User Name Date

Title

Office