Maple Leaf Fiber Positioner

NASA's Shared Services Center has issued a Special Notice for a sole source procurement of a Maple Leaf Fiber Positioner. The notice indicates NASA's intent to award a contract to MAPLE LEAF PHOTONICS LLC in Bellingham, Washington, under FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), having determined the company is the sole provider of this specific equipment. The procurement will utilize commercial item acquisition procedures under FAR Parts 12 and 13, with performance to be conducted at NASA Langley Research Center. This is a sole source requirement with no set-aside designation, posted on July 16, 2025, with a response deadline of July 18, 2025. The procurement falls under NAICS code 541511 for Custom Computer Programming Services and PSC code 7B20 for IT and Telecom High Performance Compute hardware.

The purpose of this procurement is to acquire a refurbished Long-travel Fiber Positioner for the PIC Advanced Research and Development (PICARD) Lab at Langley Research Center to enable two-sided fiber optic probing of photonic integrated circuit chips. The specialized equipment must provide automated fiber alignment, high-resolution positioning of 2 nm, long travel capabilities of 12+ mm, and full compatibility with the existing Maple Leaf Photonic probe station. Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications in writing to the primary point of contact, Shanna Patterson, no later than 7 a.m. Central Standard Time on July 18, 2025. The government retains sole discretion on whether to compete the procurement on a full and open competition basis. The estimated performance period is 8-12 weeks after receipt of order, and the sole source justification is based on the unique compatibility requirements with existing hardware and software, as alternative solutions would require purchasing a new probe station costing at minimum $100,000 with extended lead times.