2026 Service contract for Tescan MAIA3

NASA's Shared Services Center issued a sole-source Special Notice on September 2, 2026, for a 2026 service contract covering maintenance, repair, and support of a Tescan MAIA3 scanning electron microscope, with intent to award exclusively to TESCAN USA INC under FAR 12.102(a) authority for commercial items and services; interested parties may submit written capabilities and qualifications by 7:00 a.m. Central Standard Time on September 4, 2026, to challenge the sole-source determination.

The procurement covers one planned preventive maintenance inspection, unlimited emergency service visits, and unlimited technical phone support (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. business hours) for a NASA-owned MAIA3 XMU VP FE-SEM instrument (Serial Number 116-0191) at NASA Glenn Research Center. The contract period runs October 15, 2026, through October 14, 2027. All services must be performed by factory-trained service engineers and include labor, travel, living expenses, and replacement of worn or defective components; the Contractor will make best effort to respond to breakdowns within two working days.

NASA justified sole-source award on grounds that TESCAN is the original equipment manufacturer, service documentation is proprietary, replacement parts are available exclusively from TESCAN, only TESCAN-trained personnel can properly service and calibrate the instrument's critical parameters, and alternative vendors would create significant risk of extended downtime harmful to NASA research programs. NAICS 811210 applies. Shanna L. Patterson, Procurement Specialist, is the primary point of contact at Shanna.L.Patterson@nasa.gov. Quotes submitted in response to this notice will not be evaluated; only written capability statements are acceptable.