Microwave Multimode (MWM) Continuous Paving, Horizontal, and Vertical Construction Techniques

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has a requirement to authorize an increase in the contract value for contract 80MSFC24CA009, a follow-on contract to the Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology (MMPACT) contract, awarded to Dr. Holly Shulman, a small business. This contract is in support of the Microwave Multimode (MWM) project for the development of microwaves as a means to prepare and consolidate the lunar regolith into a solid glass/ceramic structure, characterize the material, and verify that the product meets design requirements through Technology Maturation, including processing performance and both horizontal and vertical joining technology development.

NASA/MSFC intends to issue a sole source work within scope modification to contract 80MSFC24CA009 to acquire the services from Dr. Shulman under the statutory authority of FAR 6.302. The original contract was issued using the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1 for acquisition of supplies or services available from only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Dr. Shulman has experience using microwaves to uniformly heat and sinter large sample sizes of lunar and Martian regolith simulants, particularly with high fidelity lunar highlands simulant. Dr. Shulman owns a proprietary formula for microwave susceptors, used to improve uniformity in hybrid microwave heating. These susceptors were used in a microwave system to produce the largest size dense blocks of lunar and Martian regolith simulant to date. She has the largest U.S. database of dielectric measurements for ceramics, including lunar regolith simulant microwave frequencies as a function of temperature. This is critical data and experience for developing microwave heating protocols. The continued provision of these services from any other source would result in both substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition and unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency's requirements.

The Government does not intend 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 Annette Hawkins at Annette.hawkins@nasa.gov and Cynthia Hubbard at cynthia.a.hubbard@nasa.gov not later than 1:00 pm CST on July 28, 2025. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether 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/procurement/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate-Listing.pdf