Tekna Plasma Gun Modernization Components

NASA's Shared Services Center issued a sole source presolicitation notice on July 21, 2026 for Tekna Plasma Gun Modernization Components, with a response deadline of July 23, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. Central Standard Time. The agency intends to award a sole source contract to Tekna Plasma Systems Inc. under FAR 12.102(a), having determined that Tekna is the only provider of these components. Performance will be located at NASA Langley Research Center.

The procurement covers OEM-compatible replacement parts and custom components to upgrade an existing Tekna vacuum plasma spray system used for advanced materials research under NASA's STMD Dust Mitigation and Environmental Material Solutions effort. Required components include a custom after-sale service torch model PN070-B7-DC-BB, three thick-ended ceramic tubes, three quartz tubes with shoulder, one sheathed probe, accessory rings, and an O-ring. The agency established sole source justification based on proprietary design specifications and manufacturing processes specific to Tekna's control systems, power delivery architecture, and cooling assemblies; market research confirmed no alternative vendors can provide equivalent components with required compatibility specifications.

Interested organizations may submit written capabilities and qualifications to Shanna L. Patterson, Procurement Specialist (Shanna.L.Patterson@nasa.gov), to determine whether the government should conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. The government retains sole discretion in this determination. Oral communications are not acceptable. The acquisition will be conducted under FAR Part 12 commercial procedures, with NAICS code 339999 and PSC code 6695.