APD modules and associated engineering

NASA's Shared Services Center has issued a Special Notice for APD modules and associated engineering services, posted on August 14, 2025. The procurement involves developing two high-bandwidth Avalanche PhotoDiode (APD) prototype modules designated as LLAM CD3830 PRO-3 and PRO-4. NASA intends to award this as a sole source contract to Excelitas Canada Incorporated under FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), having determined that this company is the sole provider of these specialized detector modules. The contract will be managed by NASA/NSSC with performance at NASA Langley Research Center, utilizing commercial acquisition procedures under FAR Parts 12 and 13. The procurement falls under NAICS code 334516 for Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing.

The primary objective of this Special Notice is to inform potential contractors of NASA's intent to proceed with a sole source acquisition while providing an opportunity for other organizations to demonstrate their capabilities. Interested parties must submit their qualifications and capabilities in writing by 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on August 18, 2025, with oral communications explicitly not acceptable. The government will evaluate submissions solely to determine whether to conduct the procurement on a competitive basis, though the final decision remains at NASA's discretion. The technical requirements include delivering two PRO-3 and one PRO-4 detector modules with specific operational parameters including -20°C operating temperature, APD gain of 200 A/A, module bandwidth of 12 MHz, and defined input-referred noise specifications. Organizations seeking to respond must demonstrate their ability to meet these highly specialized technical requirements for NASA's research applications.