2 rolls of ortho fabric styles 116 and TBD

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Shared Services Center is procuring two rolls of ortho fabric styles 116 and TBD (to be determined) through a sole source justification under FAR 12.102(a) for commercial items. The procurement encompasses specialized extravehicular activity (EVA) suit materials consisting of 25 yards of a higher denier ePTFE ortho fabric with electrostatic discharge yarns in either a grid or stripe pattern, plus 50 yards of style #116 ortho fabric made from ePTFE, Nomex, and Kevlar dual-face weave. Vendors must meet strict technical specifications including delivery of test data sheets showing tensile strength results from six samples per lot, with material yardage delivered within 5% of specified quantities. The solicitation was posted on April 8, 2026, with a response deadline of April 10, 2026 at 7 a.m. Central Standard Time. Interested organizations may challenge the sole source determination by submitting written capabilities and qualifications to Shanna Patterson (Shanna.L.Patterson@nasa.gov) by the April 10 deadline.

This procurement includes no set-aside designations and identifies Fabric Development Inc., located in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, as the sole source supplier and incumbent contractor that has served as NASA's exclusive ortho fabric provider for over 40 years across Space Shuttle missions, the International Space Station, and current advanced spacesuit systems. The estimated period of performance is 12 to 16 weeks following the manufacturer's receipt of raw materials, with performance taking place at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. No specific award value is disclosed in the solicitation documents. The NAICS code for this procurement is 313210 (Broadwoven Fabric Mills), and the PSC category is 8305 (Textile Fabrics). The sole source justification emphasizes that Fabric Development Inc. possesses proprietary knowledge, dedicated manufacturing equipment, and irreplaceable quality control processes developed over decades, making procurement from alternate vendors prohibitively expensive and time-consuming due to required material requalification and compatibility testing.