Intent to Sole Source: AFIT - High Finesse WS8-2 Wavemeter

Open Special Notice Posted

Solicitation number
FA860127Q0014
Agency
Responses due
Set-aside
No set-aside

Opportunity facts

Place of performance
Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, United States

Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

The United States Air Force, AFLCMC/PZIBA at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, issued a notice of intent to sole source award a firm fixed price contract for a High Finesse WS8-2 wavemeter system to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) by November 6, 2026. The procurement is restricted to Toptica Photonics Inc., the only known source able to satisfy the Government's requirements under RFO 6.103-1(b) authority.

The wavemeter will support research at AFIT to monitor exact wavelengths of light emitted by laboratory lasers and develop next-generation optical technologies for the Department of Defense. The High Finesse WS8-2 is the only wavemeter capable of reliably measuring wavelengths to an absolute accuracy of less than 2 MHz; competing vendors achieve only 2 MHz precision or lower accuracy. Toptica is confirmed as the sole authorized distributor for High Finesse wavemeter products in North America as of October 22, 2026.

The Government procures one system including an eight-channel multi-channel switch (MCLC8), absolute Rubidium reference source, and associated hardware, firmware, and software. The system must measure wavelengths from 390–1180 nanometers with 200 kHz resolution at 1 kHz measurement speed, accommodate up to eight simultaneous wavelengths, and measure both pulsed and continuous wave sources. Delivery is required within 180 days after receipt of order. Products must be manufactured in qualifying countries per DFARS 225.872; warranty coverage is 90 days after receipt under normal use.

Notice text

INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

The United States Air Force, AFLCMC/PZIBA, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-5344 publishes this notice of intent to award a sole source contract for informational purposes only. This proposed action is for the acquisition of a wavemeter for the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) located at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433.

The Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of RFO 6.103-1(b), “One responsible source. Agencies may contract without providing for full and open competition when the supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements,” resulting in a firm fixed price contract. The reason for lack of competition is as follows: The proposed vendor, Toptica Photonics Inc., is the only known source able to satisfy the Government's requirements. No other vendor has developed a wavemeter to the precision of Toptica's WS8-2. The primary factor in choosing this wavemeter is its capability to reliably measure a wavelength to <2 MHz. Other companies produce wavemeters that can be as low as 20 MHz in precision, but only Toptica guarantees accuracy down to 2 MHz. For this reason Toptica is the only company that meets all of the requirements. Both AFIT and contracting personnel utilized subject matter experts with experience for this requirement and vendor outreach but were unable to find other resources that were able to meet this requirement. The Contracting Officer has determined that only one source is reasonably available: Toptica Photonics Inc.

This proposed procurement will be a Sole Source under North American Industry Classification System code (NAICS) 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a size standard of 1000 employees.

The proposed source is TOPTICA PHOTONICS INC, 1120 Pittsford Victor RD, Pittsford, New York,14534-3818, United States.

This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, quotation, or exception to the intent to purchase on a sole source basis, which shall be considered by the Government if received within five (5) days of this notice. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has determined the System for Award Management (SAM) to be the single DoD registration for contractors who conduct business or who are interested in conducting business with the DoD.  Contractors must be registered in SAM prior to award for contracts issued after 29 May 2012.  You may contact SAM at 866-606-8220. SAM website:  www.SAM.gov.

The contact for this acquisition is Dametria Walder. Any information should be e-mailed to dametria.walder@us.af.mil no later than 1:00 pm Local (Wright-Patterson AFB) Time, Friday, 06 November 2026. Only inquiries/information received by this date will be considered.

Be advised that all correspondence sent via e-mail shall contain a subject line that reads “FA860127Q0014 AFIT - High Finesse WS8-2 Wavemeter.” Note that e-mail filters at Wright-Patterson AFB are designed to filter e-mails without subject lines or with suspicious subject lines or contents (i.e., .exe, or .zip files).  Therefore, if this subject line is not included, the e-mail may not get through the e-mail filters.  Also, be advised that .zip or .exe files are not allowable attachments and may be deleted by the e-mail filters at Wright-Patterson AFB.  If sending attachments with e-mail ensure only .PDF, .doc, or .xls documents are sent.  The e-mail filter may delete any other form of attachments.

Attachments:

  1. Statement of Work
  2. Redacted Sole Source Justification

Files

File Type Posted
Attachment 2_DF Below SAT - Part 12_Redacted.pdf PDF
Attachment 1_1.a. SOW HF8.pdf.pdf PDF

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