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This proposed procurement will be a Sole Source under North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) 336415 - Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing and PSC code 1675 - Space Vehicle Component. Small business size standard for NAICS 336415 is 1,250 employees.
The proposed source is Enpulsion. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract regardless of responses that may be received to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, all responsible sources or authorized distributors may submit a capability statement, proposal, quotation or exception to the intent to purchase on a sole source basis, which shall be considered by the Government if received by Wednesday, 14 August 2019 by 10:00 am EST and meets all the following requirements:
Minimum requirements:
The system shall be designed, manufactured, and delivered according to the following minimum requirements:
• Reliability: must be a commercially available system that has been flown successfully on orbit
• Propellant: system must be an electric thruster using indium propellant
• Performance and efficiency: System should provide a life-cycle velocity change (Delta-V) of at least 160 meters per second, plus margin, in a single module
• The system must be compatible with the size, weight, and power constraints and interface requirements of AFIT's 6U CubeSat bus design:
o Volume less than 1U (a 10-centimeter cube)
o Mass less than 2 kg
o Power: peak operational power usage of no more than 40W at 12 V
o Data interface: RS-422 with a baud rate of 115200bps
o Environmental qualification: must be capable of passing NASA GEVs standards to specifically include shock, separation reliability, TVac, and vibration
• The system must be delivered with all user manuals and other applicable interface control documents in electronic and hardcopy form
• The system must be delivered with flight software that supports simulation, integration, and customization
Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.
In order to comply with FAR 5.207(c)(15), the reason for lack of competition is as follows: Enpulsion manufacturers the only CubeSat propulsion system that is able to meet AFIT's full requirement for a CubeSat propulsion system stated in the attached Statement of Work (Attachment 1). Specifically, Enpulsion manufactures the only system that is able to meet all of the below constraints:
(1) AFIT has already invested significant resources in developing their own line of CubeSat space vehicles, any new component can only occupy up to a certain volume, can only contribute a certain mass, and can only draw a certain amount of power. The system must be able to meet the current CubeSat constraints listed in the requirements above.
(2) For this particular upcoming experiment, for which the thruster is required, there is a high requirement for total life-cycle velocity change (Delta-V). The system must have sufficient Delta-V to meet AFIT's mission requirement.
(3) Many of the CubeSat-compatible high-Delta-V options involve propellant materials that pose risks (either toxic or explosive, or both) that AFIT's facilities are not able to handle. The system must run on a safe to handle indium propellant, which can be stored as a stable solid material.
(4) Another important requirement is that the propulsion system must be tested and successfully used in orbit.
The Department of Defense (DoD) has determined the System for Award Management (SAM) to be the single DoD registration for contractors who conduct business or who are interested in conducting business with the DoD. Contractors must be registered in SAM prior to award for solicitations issued after 29 May 2012. You may contact SAM at 866-606-8220. SAM website: www.SAM.gov
Any information should be e-mailed to [email protected] no later than 10:00 am EST on Wednesday, 14 August 2019. Only inquiries/Information received by this date and time will be considered.
Be advised that all correspondence sent via email shall contain a subject line that reads "FA8601-19-Q-A129 CubeSat Propulsion System". Note that email filters at Wright-Patterson AFB are designed to filter emails without subject lines or with suspicious subject lines or contents (i.e., .exe, or .zip files). Therefore, if this subject line is not included, the email may not get through the email filters. Also be advised that .zip or .exe files are not allowable attachments and may be deleted by the email filters at Wright-Patterson AFB. If sending attachments with email ensure only .pdf, .doc, or .xls documents are sent. The email filter may delete any other form of attachments.