VIPER IMU JOFOC final 80JSC021P0003.pdf

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (JOFOC)

Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) Inertial Measuring Unit (IMU)

Purchase Order #80JSC021P0003

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.303-2(b)(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) Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

The procuring agency is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the contracting activity is Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

2. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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 purchase order to Northrop Grumman for the acquisition of an LN-200S IMU flight spare unit in support of lunar missions. The IMU is an integrated sensor that provides a 3-axis rotation rate sensing and 3-axis translation acceleration measurement. The IMU output data will be used as an attitude and position reference when fed into the rover’s onboard Extended Kalman Feature (EKF).

3. FAR 6.303-2(b)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

The work to be performed by the contractor is fabrication, qualification, and delivery of an IMU that meets the requirements of the mission as defined in the Statement of Work and Performance specifications. The IMU has an estimated cost of $284,000 and is expected to be delivered fourteen months after acceptance of the purchase order.

4. FAR 6.303-2(b)(4) – An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) (1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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. 2304(c)(1) is: The VIPER mission has selected the LN-200S based on mission requirements and the current primary flight unit. This purpose of this acquisition is to procure a second flight unit as a spare (i.e., drop-in replacement with identical form, fit, and function to the primary flight unit). Northrup Grumman is the only source for the LN-200S and no other compatible equipment exists that will satisfy NASA requirements.

6. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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 Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies:

A notice to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (beta.sam.gov) was published on October 19, 2020 in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.2. This posting informed potential sources of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source purchase order to Northrop Grumman.

The results of this synopsis are summarized in Section 10 below.

7. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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 and negotiated by the Government. Prior to execution of the purchase order, an analysis will be performed to ensure that the final agreed-to price is fair and reasonable.

The LN-200S is a Commercial Off The Shelf item with standard pricing, which establishes the cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable per FAR 15.402(a)(b)(ii)(A) “…, such data submitted by the offeror shall include, at a minimum, appropriate data on the prices at which the same or similar items have been sold previously, adequate for evaluating the reasonableness of the price”

8. FAR 6.303-2(b)(8) – Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reasons a market research was not conducted:

Prior to selecting the LN-200S, the VIPER mission conducted market research of the leading space and terrestrial IMUs to determine compatibility with VIPER mission requirements.

This research included an assessment of the following IMU devices:

a) Emcore SDI500: a tactical grade IMU with comparable size, weight, power, and performance specification as LN-200S. However, it is not rated for space applications.

b) KVH Industries KVH1750: an IMU that meets VIPER mission requirements. However, it is not rated for space applications.

c) Honeywell HG1700 AG58: a tactical grade IMU with comparable size, weight, power, and performance specification as LN-200S. However, it is not rated for space applications.

d) Honeywell MIMU: a navigation grade IMU with significant flight heritage. However, it does not meet VIPER mission requirements.

3) Astrix-1000: significant flight heritage for satellites and deep space probes. However, it does not meet VIPER mission requirements.

9. FAR 6.303-2(b)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

None.

10. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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 the GPE website (beta.sam.gov) per FAR Subpart 5.2 (See Section 6 above). No sources expressed an interest in the pre-solicitation synopsis.

11. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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.