NTST Ceramic Coatings

NASA's Shared Services Center has published a Special Notice announcing its intent to issue a sole source contract to Nevada Thermal Spray Technologies (NTST) for specialized ceramic coating deposition services. The procurement falls under NAICS code 325510 (Paint and Coating Manufacturing) and will support NASA Langley Research Center's advanced materials research programs. The contract requires thermal spray deposition of three distinct ceramic coating compositions - boron carbide, silicon carbide, and silicon nitride - onto 360 NASA-furnished aluminum and titanium substrates with specific thickness requirements ranging from 2-5 mils. NASA has determined that NTST is the sole provider capable of meeting these specialized requirements based on their unique technical capabilities and expertise. The agency is proceeding under FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) which allows for sole source contracting when only one source is available.

The primary purpose of this Special Notice is to inform the contracting community of NASA's sole source determination while providing an opportunity for other qualified organizations to demonstrate their capabilities. Interested contractors must submit their capabilities and qualifications in writing to the primary point of contact, Shanna Patterson, no later than 7:00 AM Central Standard Time on August 8, 2025. Oral communications are not acceptable, and NASA will evaluate all submissions solely to determine whether the procurement should be conducted on a competitive basis instead. The work involves comprehensive tasks including substrate preparation, robot programming, process development, coating deposition, and quality control, with deliverables consisting of 360 coated test substrates and technical documentation within 10 working days of substrate receipt. The estimated performance period begins September 1, 2025, and the project aims to create uniformly coated test specimens for materials characterization and performance assessment under controlled laboratory conditions.