Altitude-Simulation Chamber and Pump enclosure

NASA's Shared Services Center has issued a Special Notice for a sole source procurement of an Altitude-Simulation Chamber and Pump enclosure intended for use at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center. The procurement is being conducted under FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) authority, with Kurt J. Lesker Company of Clairton, Pennsylvania identified as the sole provider capable of meeting the government's requirements. The acquisition involves commercial items and services under FAR Parts 12 and 13, classified under NAICS code 333242 for Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing. The equipment will support the System-Agnostic Arc Fault Implementor (SAFDI) testbench at Glenn Research Center, specifically enhancing capabilities for electric arc generation testing at simulated altitude conditions of 40,000 feet.

The Special Notice serves as a market research tool to determine whether the procurement should remain sole source or be conducted competitively, requiring interested organizations to demonstrate their capabilities and qualifications by 3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on June 25, 2025. Responses must be submitted in writing to the designated procurement contacts, with oral communications explicitly not acceptable. The technical specifications include a 30-inch interior diameter stainless steel enclosure with multiple feed-throughs and viewports, paired with a multi-stage roots pump capable of 24 CFM at 60Hz. This equipment will support NASA's Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology project research into electric and hybrid-electric aircraft technologies, with the government retaining sole discretion over whether to proceed with competitive procurement based on capability responses received. Organizations must submit written documentation demonstrating their ability to provide equivalent altitude-simulation chamber and pump enclosure systems meeting the specified technical requirements.