US-FED-00000382394 - NASA JSC Intends to Issue a New Work Modification to the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) Contract 80JSC022D - Deadline June 22,2026

This is a notice of intent to award a solesource contract modification to Axiom Space, Inc., under Contract No. 80JSC022DA022 (Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services, xEVAS) to add CLIN 5: Hardware Production and Delivery. This notice concerns a modification to an existing contract and does not constitute a new procurement.Authority:This action will be conducted in accordance with FAR 6.1031, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements, under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1). The statutory authority for this JOFOC is 10 U. S. C. 2304(c)(1) which enables the use of other than full and open competition procedures in cases when the supplies or services required are deemed to be available from only one or a limited number of responsible source(s) and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.Supplies/Services may be deemed to be available only from the original source for the continued development and production of a major system or highly specialized equipment, including major components thereof, when it is likely that award to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition, or unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency`s requirements.Action Description:The xEVAS contract is an IDIQ contract with Firm Fixed Price orders. NASA JSC intends to modify the xEVAS contract 80JSC022DA022 with Axiom to establish a CLIN 5 for hardware delivery in support of EVA integration, testing, training, and mission execution. The CLIN 5 period of performance will run concurrently with the current contract end date. The xEVAS contract IDIQ maximum will not be increased as a result of the contemplated contract modification.Terms and conditions will be added to enable ordering, inspection, acceptance, and property accountability of delivered items. Examples of hardware items include:Delivery of xEVA system hardware and software, including subsystems, components and partsDelivery of ground support equipment (GSE); test support equipment (TSE) and test articlesSustaining spares; refurbishment kits; maintenance, sustainment, and repair/replacement itemsMarket Context:Axiom was awarded xEVAS Contract 80JSC022DA022 on May 31, 2022, and the period of performance is ten years, ending on May 30, 2032. As Axiom is the original equipment manufacturer, there are no other sources identified at this time that can provide an xEVA system that can be certified to support exploration missions beyond low–earth orbit without incurring unacceptable schedule delays, duplicative nonrecurring engineering, and incompatibility with the existing system design.Spacesuit development is a uniquely specialized endeavor that effectively produces a humansized spacecraft, requiring highly integrated lifesupport systems, pressure garment engineering, missioncritical avionics, and certification processes that only a contractor already developing an operational xEVA system can satisfy. Axiom Space is the only xEVAS contractor currently in active development of a lunarcapable xEVA system. xEVAS is the contract through which NASA procures the full suite of EVA system capabilities needed for Artemis, and future exploration missions, and is designed to provide the full suite of capabilities for NASA`s spacewalk needs during the period of performance.Because xEVAS is the Agency`s existing contractual vehicle for acquiring EVA system capabilities for exploration beyond low–earth orbit, the addition of Governmentowned hardware delivery necessarily results in a change in scope to the contract. The new requirement for NASA to receive, own, sustain, upgrade, certify, and repair xEVA system hardware must be added to xEVAS to remain aligned with the architecture, integration responsibilities, and technical baseline already under Axiom`s cognizance.Given that Axiom alone is producing the operational suit architecture, NASA cannot obtain these hardware capabilities from any other responsible source without incurring unacceptable schedule delays, duplicative nonrecurring engineering, and incompatibility with the existing system design. Therefore, modifying the xEVAS contract with Axiom on a solesource basis is warranted and essential to meet Agency mission requirements.Interested Parties:Vendors may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement by submitting written capability statements that specifically address:Demonstrated compatibility with the Axiom xEVAS architecture (interfaces/data/acceptance criteria) sufficient to deliver full–system functionality, including flight/test hardware without duplicate nonrecurring engineering or reintegration;An integration and certification approach that meets safetycritical EVA requirements; andSchedule feasibility consistent with Artemis mission timelines.