MaGIXS-3 SAO Support

NASA's Shared Services Center (NSSC) has published a Special Notice for MaGIXS-3 SAO Support, a specialized research and development requirement in the physical sciences. The agency intends to issue a sole source contract to the Smithsonian Institution located at 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i). NASA has determined that the Smithsonian Institution is the sole provider capable of delivering the required MaGIXS-3 SAO Support services. The procurement will be managed by NASA/NSSC with performance taking place at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The acquisition falls under NAICS code 541715 for Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences.

The primary purpose of this Special Notice is to provide other organizations an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities and qualifications to perform the MaGIXS-3 SAO Support effort, which could potentially lead to competitive procurement rather than sole source award. Interested organizations must submit written responses detailing their capabilities by 3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on July 11, 2025, with oral communications explicitly prohibited. The government will evaluate these submissions solely to determine whether to conduct the procurement on a competitive basis, though the final decision to maintain sole source procurement remains at the government's discretion. The procurement will utilize commercial item provisions and procedures from FAR Parts 12 and 13, and includes NASA's Ombudsman clause for contractor concerns. Organizations responding must demonstrate they can provide the specialized support services required for this advanced scientific research initiative.