Strap Indentation Testing Series 3 at UMaine

NASA's Shared Services Center has published a Special Notice for Strap Indentation Testing Series 3 services to be performed at the University of Maine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center. The agency intends to award a sole source contract under FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) authority, having determined that the University of Maine is the only provider capable of delivering these specialized testing services. The procurement falls under NAICS code 541330 for Engineering Services, and performance will take place at NASA Langley Research Center. The contract will utilize commercial acquisition procedures under FAR Parts 12 and 13. NASA has designated this as a civilian agency procurement with no set-aside provisions applied.

The purpose of this Special Notice is to inform potential contractors of NASA's intent to proceed with sole source procurement while providing an opportunity for other organizations to demonstrate their capabilities. Interested parties must submit written qualifications and capabilities to the designated procurement contacts by 3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on June 17, 2025, with oral communications explicitly prohibited. NASA will evaluate these submissions solely to determine whether competitive procurement is warranted, though the final decision to maintain sole source authority remains at the government's discretion. Organizations responding must demonstrate their ability to perform the specialized strap indentation testing work, and NASA has made the Center Ombudsman available for any procurement-related concerns. The notice emphasizes that any determination to maintain the sole source approach will be based entirely on the government's assessment of the responses received.