Initial Assessment for High-Vacuum Welding Glove Refurbishment by Original Vendor

NASA/NSSC issued a sole-source 8(a) Special Notice on August 3, 2026, announcing its intent to contract with ILC ASTROSPACE LLC for an initial assessment of high-vacuum welding glove refurbishment, with capability statements due by 3:00 p.m. Central Time on August 5, 2026. The gloves, manufactured by ILC Dover in 2009, support the Dust Mitigation Engineering program's testing in a simulated lunar environment and require evaluation by the original manufacturer. The initial assessment is scheduled for the week of June 8–12, 2026, at ILC Dover's facility in Houston, Texas, with MSFC personnel hand-carrying the hardware and transferring $35,000 prior to June 8 to initiate work. ILC Dover will evaluate both gloves for leaks against its standards, assess critical safety items including stitching integrity, bellows bracketry, bladder integrity, bearing seals, tether components, pressure maintenance capability, and vacuum equivalency, then coordinate a TEAMS meeting on June 11 or 12 with MSFC Task Leads to discuss required repairs and associated costs. All major components must be replaced with components of equal or greater value unless otherwise agreed. Refurbishment start and completion dates will be established after the initial assessment within two weeks or per an agreed timeframe. Performance occurs at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The work is procured under FAR Part 12 commercial item procedures, NAICS 541330, PSC K099. Interested organizations may submit written capabilities and qualifications; the government will evaluate responses solely to determine whether to conduct the procurement on a competitive basis.