Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy (EPIC) Project - BPA

NASA/AFRC has a requirement for: Consultation to NASA based on fabric testing and modelling expertise. Custom constant-width quasi-static uniaxial fabric testing facilities. Specialized quasi-static biaxial fabric testing facilities. Picture frame shear fabric testing facilities. Custom dynamic fabric testing facilities. NASA/AFRC will use these services for the Early Career Initiative (ECI) project titled Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy (EPIC). EPIC is an effort to find and test sensors to measure strain on parachute canopy fabric, with the end goal of measuring supersonic parachute deployment. Strain data on the canopy will help validate supersonic parachute models and allow parachute designers to quantify margin of safety thus reducing the risk of missions that rely on parachutes. This technology advancement will impact future planetary missions. While there are minimal ongoing efforts to instrument the parachute canopy, the EPIC team has found many candidate sensors which could potentially be applied to parachutes. The EPIC project will test multiple sensors by adhering them to parachute fabric and conducting various strain tests in the lab environment. NASA/AFRC intends to issue a sole source contract to acquire the services from the University of Massachusetts Office of Research Administration-Lowell, 600 Suffolk St. STE 415, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854-3643 under FAR the authority of FAR 6.302-1 Only one responsible source and not other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Government intends to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort electronically via email to Tiffany Goodwin at [email protected] not later than 2:00 p.m. PDT on January 26, 2023. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this acquisition on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this acquisition on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurment/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate-Listing.pdf